


Our Skeletons

by Holz9364



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 13:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 140,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20310433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holz9364/pseuds/Holz9364
Summary: We all have skeletons hidden in our closets. When the Triwizard Tournament is hosted at Hogwarts to 'boost moral' and 'remember Cedric Diggory', all of Harry's secrets start to tumble out as he struggles to balance his new role as Headmaster and the conflicts of interest that could with working with his ex-girlfriend, ex-arch nemesis and his best friend. Not to mention that life changing injury that he has been avoiding for the past four years...AU AFTER DH. Previously posted as "Skeletons" on FF.NET but pairings have been changed since then (was initially a Harmony story).





	1. The Tournament for Cedric Diggory

**Author's Note:**

> To anyone who read this on FF.Net, it has undergone significant changes, including every single pairing being changed! This is the first in a series of reworked stories, if I'm re-uploading everything anyway, I will be improving it as I go. Not all stories will change pairings, but this one was a story that REALLY neededed rewriting and I didn't feel that the original pairing actually suited the story. Either way, I hope you will all enjoy it! :)

“I still wish I didn’t have to do this.”

“Well as much as I agree with you, you have to.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little disrespectful?”

Hermione rolled her eyes for the hundredth time as she looked at her best friend, “Harry, the ministry are doing this _for _Cedric remember? How could it be disrespectful?”

Harry grinned at Hermione’s attempt at sarcasm, “Leave the sarcasm to me Hermione.”

Hermione gave him a small smile, “Do you know what you’re going to say yet?”

Harry put his feet up on his desk and shook his head, “Nah, some rubbish that I don’t believe about how it’s _for _Cedric.”

“It’s a load of bullshit,” Hermione sighed, she leaned back in her seat in Harry’s office.

“And that’s coming from the person whose organising the whole thing,” Harry said with a smirk.

“_I _didn’t come up with the idea,” Hermione reminded him, “I was ordered by the Minister to do it.”

“I don’t blame Kingsley for trying,” Harry admitted, “I know that he’s doing it for PR and let’s face it, the ministry need all the support they can get at the moment.”

“Tell me about it,” Hermione muttered under her breath.

“I’m so glad I don’t work in the ministry,” Harry said with a cheeky grin, Hermione glared at him.

“I think I’ll just try and embody Dumbledore at dinner tonight…” Harry mused, “That’s what I usually do when I have to make a big speech.”

Hermione chuckled slightly, “I still don’t know why McGonagall decided to hand this all over to you.”

“Hey, are you saying that I’m not a fit Headmaster?” Harry teased, “They do say that all the best people are the ones that are a bit mad, look at Dumbledore.”

Hermione smiled softly, “You must still be a little nervous about tonight. It’s your first year as Headmaster and you have this to announce. Not to mention the fact you are the youngest Headmaster of all time.”

“I wasn’t nervous until you just reminded me of all that,” Harry said, he gave her an exasperated look, “Now I do feel slightly sick, thanks Hermione.”

“Someone needs to bring you back down to earth and deflate that Potter ego of yours,” Hermione reminded him.

Harry snorted, “Is Ron coming tonight?”

“No,” Hermione replied thoughtfully, “I did mention it to him but he’s training with the cannons.”

“He’s always training,” Harry said with a shake of his head.

“Because it’s his job, surprisingly enough. He doesn’t have a boring day job like us,” Hermione joked.

“Boring? You think working here is boring? No, _you _have a boring day job Hermione,” Harry said with a chuckle, “Honestly, I don’t know how you do it day in and day out, working with the bloody Ministry, and in the department for magical co-operation too.”

“In my defence, I didn’t realise it was all bloody politics when I took the job,” Hermione muttered darkly.

“You’ve been working there for 5 years, you must like something about it,” Harry said as he raised his eyebrow at her.

“I don’t mind it, but lately with all of the hype about this…well it hasn’t been fun,” Hermione admitted.

“I know what you mean,” Harry said honestly, “As much as I pretend that I’m calm and collected, I am slightly nervous about the fact Minerva has given me such a challenge during my first year as Head.”

“I think she did it because she thought you would handle it better than she would,” Hermione said with a vague smile, “Regardless of how much you protest about the press and public speaking, you are rather good at it.”

Harry hummed thoughtfully, “I just hate how the Ministry are saying it’s for Cedric when it is blatantly for them.”

“That’s politics for you,” Hermione said grudgingly, “Despite how much you think it disrespects Cedric.”

“Well, at least they cancelled the last one. A 10 year gap is better than a 5 year one I suppose,” Harry said, although it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

“You’re just annoyed that it’s happening at Hogwarts again,” Hermione remarked.

“Well yeah, it’s supposed to be Durmstrangs turn,” Harry said with a glare in Hermione’s direction.

“Our Minister volunteered to host it again so if you want to fight someone on that, you can fight Kingsley. Personally, I thought you would find it fun,” Hermione said, “You being a ‘cool’, trendy Headmaster and all.”

“Hey don’t mock, I _am _a cool headmaster,” Harry said, but before Hermione could mock him anymore there was a knock on the door.

Harry called out, “Come in!”

The door opened and the potions mistress walked in holding a 2nd year by the ear. Harry hid a small smile, he recognised the kid.

“Ah, Professor Greengrass, what has he done this time?” Harry asked as the boy was pushed into a seat in front of Harry’s desk.

Daphne Greengrass was professional and strict, just like Snape had been, “Mr. Williams decided to put a firework in Miss. Montgomery’s cauldron.”

“And is Miss. Montgomery alright?” Harry asked.

“Apart from being in the hospital wing with half of her hair missing, she’s fine,” Daphne said briskly.

“I told you last year that I had given you a final warning Mr. Williams, I’ll have to write a letter to your parents, and on the first day of term too. I don’t think they are going to be pleased, do you?”

The boy shook his head, and Harry added, “As for your punishment, I think I’ll leave that up to Professor Greengrass to decide.”

The boy nodded once more and Daphne barked, “You can scrub my classroom floor clean tonight, no magic!”

The boy nodded for a third time and Harry gently told him to get going since the bell had just rung. He scurried from the room and Harry chuckled, “I lost count of how often I sent that boy up to this office last term.”

“I don’t usually get this much trouble on the first day of term,” Daphne said in exasperation as she sat down in the chair the boy had just vacated.

“Oh admit it Daphne, you can never be bothered on the first day of term,” Harry said with a grin, “You’d rather be back in your villa in Greece.”

Daphne smirked; she was a beautiful woman with tanned skin and long blonde hair, “I missed you this summer you know.”

“Ah, busy preparing for the new job,” Harry said apologetically, “Didn’t lover boy accompany you?”

“No, he left two days in to play in some Asian Quidditch league,” Daphne said with a roll of her eyes.

“That’s why I broke up with Viktor,” Hermione said, vaguely amused, “I saw him more when I told him I was thinking about breaking up with him than I did in the rest of the year that we dated.”

Daphne shrugged, “Quidditch players though, right? They always say, one sort of player will always be a player and they are always right.”

“Quidditch players are trouble,” Hermione agreed, “I swore I would never date another one, or another Auror.”

Harry rolled his eyes as girl talked commenced. Daphne asked, “Why not an Auror? Aren’t they pretty hot and badass?”

“Yep,” Hermione said with a nod, “They are really hot and badass, but they are also very rarely around and in constant extreme danger.”

Harry ignored their chatting and threw his cloak on.

“Hmm,” Daphne mused, “I think I could handle that for the red leather cloaks…but I’m definitely off Quidditch players for life.”

“It doesn’t help that they have massive egos,” Hermione added.

Harry shook his head and opened the door of the office, “You know what they say about men with huge egos,” he joked with a wink in Daphne’s direction.

Daphne and Hermione caught each other’s eye and said in unison, “That they are overcompensating?”

Harry snorted, “I asked for that one I guess. Are you two going to gossip in my office all night or are you coming to dinner?”

“We’re coming,” Daphne said as she and Hermione walked out of the office together. The trio began their walk to the great hall.

Harry fell into step with Daphne and whispered, “You know I’m not overcompensating for anything.”

Daphne shot him an amused look but said no more.

***

By the time Harry stood up to make the big announcement, most of the students were halfway through their dinner. The welcoming feast had been yesterday and he had gotten a great reaction from the students when he announced that he was the new Headmaster.

The moment Harry raised his voice and asked for silence, he got it. He walked to the front of the great hall with all eyes on him.

“I have an exciting announcement to make,” Harry began, “This year, in honour of Cedric Diggory, the first victim of the Second Wizarding War, Hogwarts will be hosting a very special event,” the hall was silent in anticipation, “Tradition states that this event should switch between three schools, but in honour of Cedric it will be held here for the second time in ten years.”

There was some whispering and muttering now as people began to realise what was happening.

“This year, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament!”

There was much cheering and chattering throughout the hall at this.

“Here to explain more about the rules is Hermione Granger, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation!” Harry said as he stepped to the side and Hermione walked over to him. She glared at him and muttered in his ear, “So your plan was to make me do all the talking?”

Harry merely smiled and whispered back, “Yes it was. After all, you are so good at it.”

Hermione shot him one more glare then walked forward and smiled out at the students of Hogwarts, “The Triwizard Tournament is a competition between a competitor from the three European schools,” she explained, “There will be three tasks and an impartial judge which as I’m sure most of you know, is known as the goblet of fire.”

“Bloody goblet of fire,” Harry muttered from his spot in front of the staff table. He was sure that he heard Daphne snigger from along the table.

Hermione continued, “Problems encountered in the last tournament were severe so this year extreme measures have been taken to ensure that nobody under the age of 17 gains entry to the tournament. We have also made sure that there is no way the goblet of fire can choose any more than 3 candidates, one from each school.”

With her speech done she walked back from the stage and Harry walked forward to take over again, “The delegates from the other schools will be arriving on the 30th of October, and the champions will be selected on the 31st of October during the Halloween feast. Remember, no one under the age of 17 is allowed to enter, so don’t try it!”

Harry walked away and the hall buzzed once more with chatter as he took his seat in-between Daphne and Hermione (who was attending that one night for this announcement).

“That’s rich coming from you Potter,” Daphne teased, “The youngest winner of the tournament and all.”

“That wasn’t his fault,” Hermione defended him, “Harry was entered into that competition so that Voldemort could kill him.”

“She’s just teasing Hermione,” Harry said gently, “She knows as well as anyone else what went on that year, after all her Mother’s maiden name is Crouch.’

Hermione was surprised by this, but Daphne merely smirked and said, “Never judge a book by its cover Hermione. You ought to know that.”

Harry rolled his eyes, “You’re not that different from your cover Daphne and your index is easy to read.”

Hermione frowned, “I don’t get that reference but I’m fairly sure its sexual.”

Harry just smirked in response which made Hermione shake her head. The thing was, Harry and Daphne really shouldn’t have gotten on as well as they did. Before he had been Headmaster, Harry had been Head of Gryffindor and Daphne was Head of Slytherin. They always drummed up some healthy competition when it came to the Quidditch cup too because they were as Quidditch mad as each other. In truth, Hermione didn’t understand why they had never properly gotten together.

“I can’t quite work out whether you two like each other or not,” Hermione verbalised jokingly.

“Definitely not,” Daphne said, “He’s a hot-headed, short, Gryffindor hero type.”

Harry jibed back, “And she’s a slimy snake.”

Hermione chuckled and whispered, “Personally, I think she’s still mad about last year. I’ve never seen Gryffindor destroy Slytherin like that.”

“I know,” Harry grinned, “She had such a temper tantrum, it was awesome.”

Hermione chuckled and was sure that she saw Daphne roll her eyes.

“So, when will I see you again?” Harry asked his best friend as he finally managed to find some time to eat.

“Probably not until October,” Hermione said sadly, “I’m so swamped with the final prep for the tournament.”

“So you can’t come visit me,” Harry corrected, “I’ll drop by next Saturday with wine.”

“What if I’m working?” Hermione asked in amusement.

“Then I’ll bring the wine to your office,” Harry said as if this were obvious.

“Alright, I’ll see you next week then,” Hermione laughed.

“It’s a date. By the way, do you think Ron will show up to any of this?” Harry asked thoughtfully as he surveyed Hermione.

Hermione shrugged, “I don’t know, I haven’t seen him since your birthday in July.”

“That was the last time I saw him too,” Harry said, “I know he’s happy being an international Quidditch player and all, but he could at least try and make time for us.”

“He’ll show up to the final task I suspect,” Hermione guessed.

Harry sighed, “At least he writes.”

“He’s training this week and then he’s off to America next week,” Hermione said, shaking her head, “Who would have thought that he would have been the most successful of the three of us?”

“We’re all successful in our ways,” Harry said with a smile, “Don’t put yourself down.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m over all of that. It was a long time ago now,” Hermione said truthfully.

“At least you’re still on reasonably good terms,” Harry said to his friend.

“That’s because it only lasted the summer, if it had lasted any longer I’m not sure it would have ended on good terms,” Hermione said thoughtfully, “And you and Gin ended okay.”

“Yeah, but it’s still awkward when we do see each other,” Harry explained, “And she has a baby now.”

“I can see why that might be weird,” Hermione admitted and for a moment they were both quiet as they ate.

“I’d better head off,” Hermione said once dinner was over. She got to her feet and kissed Harry on the cheek, “I’ll hold you to your promise and say I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“I’ll definitely be there, but I might have to bring some marking with me,” Harry joked. Hermione shook her head in amusement and walked away. She said goodbye to Neville (who was the Herbology professor) and McGonagall who was still teaching Transfiguration, on her way out.

***

When Daphne walked into his office later that night, Harry was busy writing up and amending class plans for the year.

“What brings you up here at this time of night?” Harry asked her curiously.

“Is it wrong of me to say that I missed you this summer?” Daphne asked as she walked towards the desk.

Harry smiled, “I missed you too, but I was busy. Why would it be wrong to say that?”

“Oh I don’t know,” Daphne said smoothly, “Now that you’re Headmaster and all, is it okay to associate with your staff?”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, “Daphne Greengrass, if I didn’t know any better I would say you find my promotion a turn on.”

Daphne smirked at him, “Now why would you think that, Potter?”

Harry smirked right back at her, “Greengrass, I am Headmaster now, show me some respect,” he said as he grabbed her and lifted her onto his desk.

Daphne laughed and kissed him, “Ugh, I really did miss you this summer,” she murmured against his lips.

“You are the worst distraction,” Harry murmured in-between kisses, “I have work to do.”

“Put me to work then Headmaster,” Daphne teased.

Harry grinned at her, “Gladly.”

***

As he had suspected Hermione was working when Harry turned up at her flat with a bottle of wine on Saturday night, despite the fact it was nearly 10pm. He followed through on his promise and knocked on her office door just after 10.

“Come in!” Hermione called. She grinned when she saw Harry walk in waving the bottle of wine.

“Ah, it’s Saturday,” Hermione said, she bit her lip, “I forgot,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Does our friendship mean nothing to you?” Harry asked mockingly as he put the wine down on her desk and sat down in the chair across from her.

“I did tell you I was swamped,” Hermione said as she pointed at the stack of paper on her desk.

“They overwork you Hermione,” Harry said as he conjured up two glasses and poured them each a glass of wine.

“Hey, the work I do is hard. I don’t just mess about with shield charms a few times a day,” Hermione joked, but she didn’t mean it, she knew that Harry worked hard and was passionate about what he did.

“Hey, I work hard. I am protecting the nation or safeguarding the nations kids, whatever politics crap it is your lot say,” Harry said as he forced the wine glass into Hermione’s hands, “Now, take a break.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said gratefully as she sipped from the glass.

“How are you so busy anyway? I would have thought most of it would have been finalised by now,” Harry said as he frowned at the stack of paperwork and letters.

“Well the rules are finalised of course, and the schools have all signed the contract but now I’m arranging transport expenses for the schools and finalising the payment for the people helping create each task, all of the boring stuff,” Hermione said as she shut her eyes, they were bloodshot and Harry wondered how long she had been awake for.

“So are you going to tell me anything new about the tournament yet?” Harry asked somewhat eagerly.

“I’m not supposed to,” Hermione said with a smile, “And I definitely can’t tell you about the tasks.”

“You’re boring,” Harry said with a mock pout that made Hermione laugh.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Fleur again,” Harry mused, “It’s been a while since she moved out to France with Bill and the girls.”

“Victoire is 5 now, can you believe?” Hermione asked, shaking her head, “And Dominique is 2…”

“Hey I helped plan Teddy’s 6th birthday party in April, I feel old,” Harry said, he couldn’t believe how fast his Godson was growing.

“It’s scary when you think about it,” Hermione said thoughtfully, “I mean Gin has a baby, does it not make you wonder who else from school has settled down now?”

“Slightly,” Harry admitted, “But I can tell you a few who I know for sure haven’t.”

“Apart from Ron?” Hermione asked with a snort and Harry sniggered, “Yeah well the way he’s going he’s going to be a womaniser forever, but apart from him, Susan hasn’t settled down yet, and neither has Daphne.”

“Theodore Nott has twin girls,” Hermione informed Harry, “I bumped into him the other day in Diagon Alley, he married Astoria Greengrass.”

“Is she related to Daphne?” Harry asked cluelessly.

“She’s her little sister,” Hermione said in disbelief.

“Daphne has a sister?”

“Seriously Harry? How can you not know that about the person you’ve been sleeping with and spending summers with for the last what, two years?” Hermione asked irritably.

“She doesn’t really talk about herself, at all,” Harry said defensively, “And whose Theodore Nott anyway?”

“A Slytherin we went to school with, he was friends with Malfoy,” Hermione said, she rolled her eyes when Harry showed no sign of recognition at all.

“He came back to school to do his N.E.W.T’s when I went back after the war,” Hermione explained, “He’s a nice guy, but he’s pretty quiet.”

“Hmm,” Harry said, he drank deeply from his wine glass, “I wouldn’t worry too much, Dean and Seamus haven’t settled, and neither have either of the Patil twins.”

“Dean and Seamus are so not single Harry,” Hermione said in exasperation.

“Oh come on, not this old argument.”

“It wouldn’t be an argument if you would just acknowledge that Dean and Seamus are obviously together!”

Harry shook his head, “Uh-uh, I shared a dorm with them for 7 years! I would know Hermione, trust me.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “You know…Ernie has settled down. Well, depending on what you mean by settled, he has a son but he didn’t marry the girl…”

“Does it bother you?” Harry asked curiously.

Hermione shook her head, “That he has a kid? No, I’m totally over Ernie…”

“But you were together for like what…a year?” Harry pointed out.

“I know,” Hermione said, “I guess I just worry. With everyone else settling down I wonder if I ever will, if I’ll ever meet someone who wants to stick with me that way.”

“You will,” Harry assured her, “You’ve just had a string of bad romances.”

“Well if anyone can sympathise with me on that it’s got to be you,” Hermione said with a small smile as Harry rolled his eyes.

“Try a string of sour flings,” Harry said somewhat bitterly.

“And the odd relationship, you really liked Susan,” Hermione said, Harry couldn’t hide anything from her.

“Until she ran off with that girl from the Auror department…”

Hermione burst into a fit of the giggles, as she always did when this story was brought up and Harry glared at her and sipped his wine for a while until she calmed down.

“I’m sorry Harry,” Hermione said apologetically, “But that always cracks me up.”

“Nice to know my terrible love life gives you amusement,” Harry said with a small smile.

“I’m sorry but you know…I can tell you one thing about the tournament actually,” Hermione said thoughtfully, and Harry chuckled as he realised she had finished her first glass of wine already.

“And what’s that?”

“As long as you promise not to tell a soul,” Hermione said as she held out her hand to Harry.

He took it and shook it, “I swear on my heart,” he said with a grin.

“Well, I can tell you who the other judges will be, apart from Fleur,” Hermione said, leaning forward and whispering, she didn’t know why because it was only the two of them in the office and the door was shut.

“Ooh, who?” Harry asked excitedly.

“The Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports will be a judge.”

“Who _is _the head of that department?”

“A certain Susan Bones,” Hermione said, biting her lip as she watched Harry for a reaction.

He rolled his eyes, “That’s going to be a delight,” he said sarcastically.

“Then there will be me as Head of my department, and Fleur as Head of Beauxbatons, and you as Head of Hogwarts. The last judge will be the Head of Durmstrang,” Hermione said, again looking nervous.

“And who is the head of Durmstrang?” Harry asked, feeling very out of the know here.

“Well, he moved there after the war…” Hermione said, she was chewing her lip again, “Draco Malfoy is the head of Durmstrang.”

Hermione was expecting Harry to take this badly, she hadn’t expected him to react the way he did.

Harry laughed almost wickedly and said, “Malfoy? Really? We could have so much fun with this Hermione!”

Hermione gaped at Harry for a moment, “I thought you would take the news badly because you are going to have to spend a lot of time with him this year.”

“High school grudges are in the past Hermione, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun this year pranking him!” Harry said with an evil grin.

Hermione laughed and said, “Come on Harry, you’re getting too excited, I think you need to get home.”

“Fine,” Harry agreed, “But promise you’ll come to Hogwarts again before the arrival of the competitors?”

“I’ll try,” Hermione promised as she hugged him and saw him out of the door, “But I’m busy.”

They said goodbye and Harry went back to his office at Hogwarts, all the while thinking up pranks he could play on his old arch nemesis. 

***

Hermione didn’t manage to make it to Hogwarts, she was as swamped as ever with work leading up to the tournament, and Harry was just as busy getting Hogwarts ready for its guests, as well as teaching and marking. The next time they saw each other was on the 30th of October, shortly before the competitors were due to arrive.

“Hey,” Hermione called out as she walked into Harry’s office, she didn’t see him at first until he walked out of the adjoining bedroom doing his trousers up.

“Oh, hey Hermione,” Harry said happily, “I hoped you’d get here early so I could talk to you before they all started arriving.”

“Yeah,” Hermione said with a frown, “I wondered if you might want me to help you prepare a speech.”

“I was just going to get you to do all of the talking again,” Harry smirked and Hermione was about to make a jibe when something stopped her. Daphne walked out of the room adjoining the office, Harry’s bedroom. She smirked at Harry as she slipped past him, “See you later Headmaster. Hey Hermione.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and waved at Daphne before she slipped out of the office.

“Really Harry?”

“What?” Harry asked defensively as he made his way down the staircase.

“You’re still sleeping with Daphne? Even now that you are her superior? And what’s more, in this tower where great Headmasters such as Dumbledore have lived! But you’re just using it for all of your…recreational activities!” Hermione ranted.

“Recreational activities?” Harry asked in amusement, “Is that what you’re going to call it?”

“I’m serious,” Hermione said, she glared at him, “Don’t you think its wrong, morally?”

“Why is it wrong? If I have to live here then I’m going to live here properly, not like a bloody monk,” Harry retorted, “And yes, I’m still sleeping with Daphne even though I’m her superior which is technically wrong-”

“There’s no technically about it, it’s just wrong,” Hermione cut in.

“But, as you can see, I think she kind of likes me being her superior,” Harry grinned.

Hermione sighed half-heartedly, “Too much information. Can we just get down to business, please?”

Harry sat down on the edge of his desk, “I sense an underlying cause to your anger over my sex life. Is it because you don’t have one right now?”

Hermione didn’t say anything, she just glared at her best friend.

“Maybe you and Malfoy should hook up,” Harry joked, “I always thought you two had some sexual tension.”

“We did not have any sexual tension, and I have standards,” Hermione said as she sat down in front of the desk, “And back to the topic of Daphne, when you didn’t go to Greece with her this summer that was you making a stand remember? You said you were going to stop sleeping with her before you became Headmaster because it would be unprofessional.”

Harry sighed, “I know I did, and I should have stopped sleeping with her. I swear, I had every intention to stop, but then she came in here the night after I announced the tournament and…well you probably don’t want to hear that story but my self-control failed me.”

“It’s been doing that a lot these days,” Hermione said disapprovingly.

“Did you come here to discuss my lack of self-control or did you come here to discuss the tournament?” Harry asked, he raised an eyebrow at her.

“We will be having this conversation again Harry.”

“I know we will,” Harry said, “So, the tournament?”

Hermione fixed him with a reproving look then glanced down at her itinerary, “Beauxbatons will arrive first,” Hermione said as she glanced down at her itinerary, “And you will be expected to kiss Fleur and be welcoming.”

“I can do that,” Harry said simply.

“Then Durmstrang will arrive, and you will be expected to shake Malfoy’s hand and put up a false pretence that you actually like him,” Hermione said, she smirked because she could predict his reply.

“That won’t be as easy,” Harry said, “But I acted enough to convince the politicians in all my bloody speeches after the war, so it’s manageable.”

“After you have greeted both parties everyone will head to the Great Hall, you will give an opening speech and you will _not _make me do all of the talking,” Hermione said, and Harry grinned sheepishly, “Then everyone will eat, simple as that.”

“That is very simple, but thank you for briefing me anyway,” Harry said as he got up and kissed Hermione on the cheek then grabbed her hand, “Come on, you wanted to help, you can help me get dressed.”

“Why didn’t you get Daphne to help you with that?” Hermione quipped.

“If I didn’t know better I’d say that sounded like jealousy,” Harry joked as he made his way up the stairs and into his bedroom, Hermione followed him into the large ornate room. She had helped him pick out clothes before for state dinners and the like, but she had never seen his new room. It was beautiful architecturally but given that Harry lived in it, it was a mess.

“No, I’m not jealous. I just disapprove of your life choices,” Hermione said distastefully.

“Oh I know, you make that very clear,” Harry said as he trod across the clothes strewn on the floor to get to his wardrobe.

Hermione surveyed the mess and saw a lace bra lying on the floor, she shook her head in disbelief, “Looks like your potions mistress left an item of clothing,” Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

Harry followed Hermione’s line of sight and said, “Oh no, that’s…uh, not hers.”

Hermione looked up in disbelief, “Seriously? Who else are you bloody shagging?”

“Just a friend,” Harry said evasively, “Anyway, what do you think I should wear tonight?”

“Harry,” Hermione said sternly, “You are not getting out of that one so easily. Who is this _friend _of yours?”

“She’s called Aurora,” Harry replied factually.

“Aurora?” Hermione echoed in disbelief, “Sinistra? Oh my God Harry, for one, she _taught you at school_! And for two, you can’t just sleep with your staff! You are Headmaster now, you need to be responsible.”

“I am responsible!” Harry objected, “Why does sleeping with my staff make me any less responsible?”

“I can’t believe you felt the need to ask that,” Hermione muttered under her breath, “So who else then? Trelawney? McGonagall?”

Harry made a face, “That’s disgusting, you know that right?”

“Personally, I think sleeping with your subordinates is disgusting,” Hermione quipped.

“But when you slept with Ernie who was what, two ranks above you in the department, that was okay?” Harry shot back.

Hermione’s cheeks flushed, “That was different.”

“Was it?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, “How, exactly?”

“It just was!” Hermione said defensively, “And that developed into a long-term relationship, not just another fling.”

Harry disappeared into his walk in wardrobe and called out, “We’ve had this conversation, remember? Long-term relationships don’t seem to work for me.”

“Clearly,” Hermione muttered as a knock sounded on the door.

Hermione looked up and smiled, “Oh, hey Nev.”

“Hey Hermione,” Neville smiled back, “Where is he?”

“In the wardrobe,” Hermione replied.

“Harry, are you ready to head down?” Neville called.

Harry called back, “Nope, I’m not even dressed yet!”

“Tell him he has half an hour to get down there,” Neville muttered to Hermione.

She whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in check.”

Neville chuckled and said, “Good luck.”

“Did you know he was sleeping with Daphne again?” Hermione asked Neville quietly. Second to Hermione, Neville was Harry’s closest friend.

A dark look crossed his face and he shook his head, “No, he told me he was going to stop.”

Hermione sighed, “Yeah, he told me that too, but you know what he’s like.”

“It’s kind of sad you know?” Neville whispered, “How different he is these days from the guy we grew up with. The war did a number on him, I guess.”

“It wasn’t even the war,” Hermione whispered to her friend, “It was Susan, he had already bought the engagement ring when she ran off. Ever since then, he doesn’t seem to be able to commit to long-term relationships.”

A look of surprise crossed Neville’s face, Hermione was fairly certain that she was the only person who knew about Harry’s almost engagement, “Don’t tell anyone though Neville, he’s sensitive about it.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Neville said with a small smile, “I’ll see you at the feast later,” he said as he made his way out of the office.

“Okay Hermione,” Harry called as he walked out of the wardrobe wearing only his boxers, “Which one?”

Hermione tried not to gape, but she couldn’t help it, the last time she had helped Harry out like this had been when he had a state dinner two years ago, and in that time he had changed.

Harry noticed her slight blush and grinned, “Not such a skinny runt anymore huh?” he said in amusement, “I’ve been working out.”

“I can see that,” Hermione said, she swallowed and tried to control the colour of her cheeks, “So show me the outfits.”

Harry held up two sets of robes in his hands. One set was a deep emerald green that was almost the exact same colour as his eyes, and the other was a dark purple with silver stars which reminded Hermione of Dumbledore.

“The purple I think,” Hermione said.

Harry nodded, “That was my gut instinct,” he said as he pulled on black trousers and a purple shirt then pulled the purple robes on over the top and bent down to put his shoes on with a grimace on his face.

Hermione jumped in, “Hey, let me help,” she said as she tied the laces on both shoes for him. She got up and saw him looking embarrassed.

“Oh Harry, it’s just me, don’t feel embarrassed,” Hermione said.

Harry merely shrugged and said, “I wish I could go back in time and stop it from happening.”

“It’s easy to say that now,” Hermione said sympathetically, “I doubt the amount of sex you’re having is helping either. The healers told you to take it easy when it hurts.”

“Well it’s only been hurting for a day or so. A 6th year hit me with a stunning charm the other day and I must have twisted it the wrong way,” Harry said as he got to his feet and left the bedroom.

“You’re lucky you came out of that accident alive,” Hermione said as she made her way down the stairs with him, “A back injury isn’t so bad when you think about what could have happened.”

“I know,” Harry said quickly, and Hermione could tell that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He took a moment to catch his breath and then smiled at Hermione and put his arm through hers, “Shall we?”

“We shall,” Hermione said, smiling back at her friend.


	2. So it Begins

Harry and Hermione walked through the courtyard, past the crowds of students waiting with excitement to see the contenders from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons arrive. It was cold and Harry was glad for the heavy violet cloak that he was wearing. He glanced at Hermione as they stood in the cold grounds waiting.

“Are you nervous?” He asked curiously.

“No,” Hermione said, denying it a little too well.

“That looks like them,” Harry said as he pointed to the sky where something was beginning to come into view.

“Such a grand entrance, like last time,” Hermione said, shaking her head in amusement as the pale blue carriage drew closer and the students gasped in surprise. The carriage landed gracefully on the ground and a few moments later Fleur stepped out, she flicked back her blonde hair, looking as beautiful as ever, many male students gaped at her. She made her way towards Harry with a line of French girls following her.

“Harry!” Fleur said happily when she reached him, she hugged him warmly and kissed him on both cheeks, Harry did the same, just as instructed by Hermione.

“Fleur, it’s fantastic to see you,” Harry said as he led her into a covered area of the courtyard, he knew how cold the girls from Beauxbatons found Hogwarts, “How are the girls?”

“Fantastic, they were sad to see me go of course, but how could I miss out on an opportunity like this?” Fleur asked, the question was obviously rhetorical but Harry nodded, “Oh, of course, it would be horrible to miss out.”

“It is rather sweet, that we are doing it for Cedric,” Fleur said as Harry got her and her girls settled in the covered area set aside for them.

“It’s nice,” Harry agreed. Fleur used the brief moment of silence to pull a girl forward, “You remember my sister Gabrielle?”

Harry had to fight not to gape, the girl looked around 17 and she couldn’t have looked more like Fleur had at that age if she had tried. The long silvery-blonde hair and blue eyes, the pale skin and even the similar face shape, it was slightly scary how alike they were.

“Bonjour,” Gabrielle said with a smile as she curtseyed to Harry and blushed when he greeted her with a kiss on each cheek like he had to her sister. He had seen her at the wedding, but that was nearly 7 years ago now, she had grown up.

“Harry, Durmstrang are arriving,” Hermione called so Harry excused himself and made his way over to where she was standing. He didn’t need to wonder where to look, his eyes found the lake immediately. It was all happening the same as last time, but this time he and Hermione were sort of in charge which was a slightly scary thought.

“Something’s different,” Harry said as he squinted through the semi-darkness at the boat.

“The colour scheme…” Hermione said in disbelief.

Harry gaped slightly, Hermione was right, the boat had previously been ornately decorated in red, however it was now glistening green.

“Hang on a minute…” Harry said in surprise as the boat surfaced properly, “Wasn’t the school flag red?”

“Yes, it was,” Hermione said.

“And now it’s green,” Harry stated.

“It appears so.”

“Did he really change the school colours and flag just because it was red?” Harry asked, completely astounded.

“Yes, I think he did,” Hermione replied rather matter of factly.

“Is he that sad?” Harry asked, shaking his head.

“Harry,” Hermione said slowly, “The first thing you did when you became Headmaster was redecorate the great hall red and gold.”

“That’s not the same thing Hermione.”

“It sort of is,” Hermione teased as the ship anchored and the students began to embark, at the head of the group was Draco Malfoy, his blonde hair glistening in the moonlight.

“Here we go,” Harry muttered as Draco approached Harry and Hermione.

“Headmaster Potter,” Draco said politely with a small bow of the head towards Harry.

“Headmaster Malfoy,” Harry said, with a similar bow of the head. Hermione watched on, biting her lip.

“I noticed that you changed the colour scheme of the Durmstrang flag. I see you didn’t add a ferret however,” Harry said, all in a very polite tone, he then grimaced as Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.

“Yes, well I’ve heard rumours about the redecoration of the great hall Potter. Once again we may be more similar than we chose to believe,” Draco said with narrowed eyes.

Harry smiled at this and shook Draco’s hand, “It’s good to see you Malfoy.”

“You too Potter,” Draco said, smiling slightly too as he shook Harry’s hand, he then turned to Hermione, “And you Granger, it’s been a while.”

Hermione smiled politely and shook his hand, “It certainly has been. I don’t think anyone has seen you since the clean up after the war.”

“I figured taking some time out in another country while things cooled down might have been a good idea,” Draco said diplomatically, “But this is the perfect opportunity for unification after all that has happened.”

Harry looked between the two of them, “If you two want to keep talking about politics, be my guest.”

Hermione shot Harry a glare and said to Draco, “He isn’t your typical Headmaster.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Draco remarked, “Where are your respective Weasels this evening?”

“Ginny has a baby, with someone else,” Harry replied, “And Hermione had the sense to see that Ron was a waste of space rather quickly.”

“I see,” Draco mused, he looked at Hermione, “Does that mean you are unattached then Granger?”

Hermione was startled by that question, “I…uh…what?”

“Yes Malfoy, she is unattached,” Harry said, he shot Hermione a knowing look.

“But I do not need another womaniser in my life right now,” Hermione interjected.

“Another?” Draco questioned.

“Harry has become something of a…magnet for desperate single women,” Hermione explained.

Draco snorted in amusement, “The thought of Potter as a magnet to any woman amuses me.”

Hermione tried to hide her smile, but Harry caught it, and so did Draco. They reached the other delegates at that point and all chit chat ended.

***

When everyone was settled in the great hall, the Durmstrang students at the Slytherin table, and the Beauxbatons students split between the other tables, it was time for all the speeches and announcements that Harry hated so much. The seating arrangement had changed slightly for the duration of the tournament. Fleur was now sitting on Harry’s right and Draco was sitting on his left. In between Draco and Neville was Hermione, and Daphne was sitting next to Fleur.

“Students of Hogwarts,” Harry said loudly which grabbed everyone’s attention, “I am pleased to introduce you to Madame Delacour-Weasley, Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy for Magic.”

Fleur stood up at the head table and curtseyed as the students clapped.

“And Professor Malfoy, Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute,” Harry said, and at the head table Draco did a small bow and got some claps, mostly from the Slytherins and his own students.

“Tonight the delegates from all schools, including Hogwarts will enter the tournament using this…” Harry pulled off the silk sheet that covered the goblet, “The goblet of fire.”

The students ooh-ed and aah-ed and Harry continued, “It will be placed in the entrance hall at 7pm tonight, and students may enter their names up until 5pm tomorrow. To explain more is the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Hermione Granger!”

Harry walked back a few steps and Hermione passed him, shooting him a glare and muttering, “I am going to kill you for this.”

Harry merely grinned as Hermione addressed the students, “To enter all you need to do is write your name and your school on a slip of paper and throw it into the goblet of fire. There will be an age line around the goblet, but as an extra precaution an Auror will be guarding the goblet at all times and anyone under the age of 17 caught trying to enter will be severely punished by the Headmaster.”

“Thank you Miss. Granger,” Harry said with a small smile as Hermione made her way back to her seat. He addressed the students once more, “So don’t try and enter if you aren’t 17, or you’ll get hunted down by the Ministry!” he joked on a final note, leaving most of the students laughing.

Harry then made his way back to his seat and sat down. In seconds Hermione was giving him abuse over Draco who was sitting in-between them.

“I swear to god if you do that one more time I will tell Daphne and Sinistra that you’re sleeping with both of them,” Hermione hissed.

Harry grinned and said, “They both know.”

“Ugh, you disgust me,” Hermione hissed as she spun around to talk to Neville.

“You and Daphne? Daphne Greengrass?” Draco asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Harry replied simply, “She’s my potions mistress.”

“And you’re sleeping with her?” Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, I am, you can ask her if you don’t believe me,” Harry said casually as food appeared and he tucked into it happily.

Draco shook his head in disbelief and turned to talk to Hermione, “Is he really sleeping with Daphne Greengrass?”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Yes, he has been for the last few years even though its wildly unprofessional.”

“I can’t quite believe that,” Draco admitted, “I mean I get that he’s a hero or whatever, but she’s so far out of his league.”

“A large ego will go a long way,” Hermione muttered irritably.

“Clearly,” Draco remarked, “If you don’t mind me asking, is there a reason why you haven’t settled down?”

“Yes, that would be because I tend to attract arseholes,” Hermione replied matter of factly.

Draco laughed, “That bad?”

“Well so far there’s been Ron who I won’t even…I’m not even going there,” Hermione said with a wave of her hand, “Then there was a guy who I actually kind of thought was the one until it turned out that he wasn’t. After that there was Viktor who cared more about Quidditch than literally anything else. Then I dated an Auror who nearly died on me twice before that ended and then I hooked up with my boss and dated him for a year until that crashed and burned because he left me for somebody else then got that somebody else pregnant so yes, I seem to attract arseholes.”

“I can’t disagree with that having heard the evidence,” Draco said with a slight smile.

“What about you?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Why haven’t I settled down?” Draco asked, “Well I think that might have something to do with the rather large snake on my arm. Every time I get close to someone, I have to explain that and saying that I _was _a dark lords bitch but that I’m a reformed man now, doesn’t go down very well with most women.”

Hermione smiled slightly, “Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you…it was just, the way you said it made it sound kind of funny.”

Draco smiled too, “You haven’t changed much Granger, I thought you might have done after the war and all but you’re exactly how I remember you.”

“You haven’t insulted me once so you have changed Malfoy, rather a lot,” Hermione commented,

“That was my intention when I left England,” Draco admitted, “To run away to Europe and find myself I guess.”

“Did it work?” Hermione asked.

“I think so,” Draco replied with an honest, true smile.

***

Harry spent most of the feast catching up with Fleur. When the feast finished around an hour or so later Harry was one of the last to leave the hall, he said goodnight to Fleur and Draco and waited until all of the students were on their way to bed before leaving.

“I’m going to bed,” Hermione said as she kissed Harry on the cheek, she was sleeping temporarily in the teachers quarters since her whole job here was to keep an eye on things and make sure everything went smoothly.

“Goodnight,” Harry said to her. He was about to walk her to her room when Daphne appeared by his side, “So, are we still on for tonight?”

Harry grinned, “I never break promises. I’ll show Hermione to her room and meet you in my office.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Daphne said as she strutted off in the direction of the grand staircase.

“I know where I’m going,” Hermione said with a smile, “You don’t have to walk me.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked.

Hermione nodded, a look passed across her face that he didn’t understand.

“Goodnight then,” Harry said as he watched Hermione disappear up the marble staircase. 

Harry was about to make his way up to his office after Daphne when something stopped him.

“Harry!”

He spun around and smiled when he saw Neville approaching, “Mind if I walk with you?”

“Nah, course not,” Harry replied, Neville’s quarters were on the 6th floor so they often walked together.

“That seemed to go pretty well, you didn’t punch Malfoy, he didn’t insult me, and you managed to piss Hermione off _again_,” Neville said rather matter of factly.

“I must agree, but I don’t know what I actually did to piss Hermione off this time,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“Uh, apart from making her speak again because you couldn’t be bothered doing it yourself you mean?” Neville asked, vaguely amused at how clueless Harry could be.

“Well, I understand that, but she was pissed off with me before that,” Harry said, really not understanding what he had done to annoy his friend.

“You really don’t know?” Neville asked in disbelief.

“No…should I?” Harry asked with a frown.

“Harry, you’re my best friend, but you can be so clueless sometimes it’s unreal,” Neville said, shaking his head in amusement.

“Do you think it has something to do with Daphne? I don’t think Hermione likes her much,” Harry mused.

“Hermione likes Daphne well enough, but I don’t think she approves of your…relationship…with her,” Neville said carefully, he didn’t want to say the wrong thing and face Hermione’s wrath, “And you do spend a lot of time with Daphne, time that you used to spend with Hermione.”

“Hmm,” Harry hummed thoughtfully, “You’re right Nev. I think I have been neglecting my friendship with Hermione…I’ll apologise tomorrow.”

“Good,” Neville said, he glanced at Harry and narrowed his eyes, “But you’re still going to sleep with Daphne tonight, aren’t you? Despite everything I just said.”

Harry shot Neville a boyish grin, “She’s waiting for me in my office, I can hardly let her down can I?”

“Oh Merlin Harry,” Neville sighed in despair as they reached the 6th floor, “I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight.”

“Night Nev,” Harry said. Then he made his way through his office, into his bedroom where a certain potions mistress awaited him. Harry felt slightly bad about neglecting Hermione, she was, and always had been, his best friend after all. The guilty thoughts quickly vanished from his mind though, Daphne made sure of that.

***

Hermione was tiptoeing as quietly and quickly as possible through the empty, dark corridors of Hogwarts at 3am in the morning. She hadn’t done this since she had come back to do her N.E.W.T’s. She had been thrown in with the 7th years, and a few others from her year who had returned. Hermione and Ginny had always gotten on, but they hadn’t been incredibly close. For the first little while of the year they had stuck together, but Ginny had her own friends in her year and when Harry broke up with her just before Christmas Ginny turned her back on Hermione slightly because of it. Hermione had ended up spending most of her time with the other students from her year who had returned, there had only been 8 of them after all. She had become good friends with the Hufflepuff girl Hannah Abbott and she had become close with a Ravenclaw called Mandy Brocklehurst. It had been hard, being at Hogwarts without Harry and Ron, but she had a good time, and she had even become friends with the only returning Slytherin, a guy called Theodore Nott. He had been quiet, but hilarious once you got to know him so he and Hermione had hit it off, they had spent a good few nights eating ice cream in the kitchens talking about everything from their perspectives on the war to what they were going to do next.

Hermione got as far as the bottom step of the marble staircase leading into the entrance hall when she ran into trouble, she tumbled but managed to catch herself before she fell flat on her face. She frowned as she looked around, there was no one around and nothing on the ground that she could have tumbled on. She listened carefully and heard shallow breathing then realised what was going on.

“Harry, is that you?” She asked in exasperation.

“No…” A disembodied voice said from somewhere at her feet. Hermione felt around the area where she had heard the voice and found the thin silky material that she knew well. She lifted it up and slipped under, sitting down next to Harry on the marble steps.

“You’re watching everyone put their name in the goblet, aren’t you?” Hermione asked as she looked at her friend.

He smiled mischievously with a twinkle in his eyes akin to Dumbledore, “Yes, I am.”

“Did you have fun with Daphne?” Hermione asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice and failing.

“Oh we didn’t sleep together,” Harry lied, bearing in mind what Neville had said to him after the feast.

“You didn’t? Why?” Hermione asked, not able to hide her surprise.

“I was just tired, and worried about this,” Harry lied, pointing at the goblet.

“Oh, fair enough,” Hermione said thoughtfully as she too looked at the goblet whose fire was currently gently swaying in the breeze coming in through the draughty walls and windows.

“What were you doing up so late?” Harry asked Hermione curiously.

“Oh,” Hermione said, trying to think of a reason for her wandering around so late at night, “I was on my way to the kitchen to get ice cream…I crave it late at night sometimes.”

Harry narrowed his eyes at Hermione and said, “You’re not pregnant…are you?”

Hermione snorted, “No Harry, a man is required for that or it would be a medical miracle.”

Harry chuckled, “Good, because if you were I would have to kick the guys ass. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Hermione said with a fond smile.

“You see, this is why flings are essential,” Harry joked.

Hermione shook her head, “For you maybe, but not for me. I couldn’t sleep with someone I didn’t have feelings for. I just couldn’t have that sort of relationship, it wouldn’t be enough for me.”

“It’s not enough for me,” Harry admitted, in one of these rare conversations when he let his wall come down, “It doesn’t fill the gap that Susan left, and it never will, but it’s something,” he frowned as he stared at the goblet of fire, “It’s human contact, proof that I’m still alive, proof that I can still feel something.”

“Something that makes you feel the way you did during the war,” Hermione finished, understanding Harry more than he knew at times.

Harry nodded, “I’ve had more flings than I’ve had real relationships.”

“I can’t say I know the feeling,” Hermione admitted, “I’ve only really had one or two flings, but there have always been feelings involved for me.”

“Apart from that one time,” Harry said with a small smirk as he caught Hermione’s eye, “With Neville.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and nudged Harry in the ribs, “I felt strong friendship for Neville I will have you know and besides, it doesn’t count. That was the last and only time I’ve ever been that drunk.”

Harry sniggered and said, “Well, you know what Neville is like when he’s had a few…”

Hermione chuckled and said, “I need to go and get ice cream, I’ll be back in a minute.”

She then slipped out of the cloak to get ice cream. She managed to sneak past the Auror on duty fairly easily, she only saw him from behind though so she wasn’t sure who he was. Hermione returned from the kitchen with a sizeable tub of vanilla ice cream and two spoons. Once more she snuck past the Auror who was too busy reading the prophet to even notice her, she found Harry again and slid under the cloak.

Harry grinned as Hermione handed him a spoon and balanced the tub on her lap.

“So, what’s happened so far?” Hermione asked, her eyes flicking over to the goblet.

“Well it’s only been a few of our kids,” Harry said, referring to Hogwarts students, “I suspect that the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students will do it tomorrow morning when everyone can see them.”

“So who’s put their name in so far?” Hermione asked, a little too eagerly as she dug into the vanilla ice cream.

“A couple of 7th year Gryffindor’s who are quite shy, a Ravenclaw kid whose crazy smart, like Hermione smart,” Harry said, missing the proud smile that spread across Hermione’s face at this comment, “And a Hufflepuff girl who I’ve seen speak once in the whole time I’ve taught here.”

“Hmm,” Hermione said as she handed Harry the ice cream tub, “So what are our bets for who will be chosen?”

“From here?’ Harry asked as he thought about it for a moment, “I think it will be a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw, no offence to Hufflepuff but Cedric…he was an exception.”

Hermione nodded, “Why do you think it won’t be a Slytherin?”

Harry shrugged, “They are alright all-rounders Slytherins, but they aren’t great at any specific subject apart from potions really. Although one of my favourite students is in Slytherin, I hope she enters. The Ravenclaws that I think will enter are like you, great at everything.”

Hermione blushed and shook her head, “I would never have made it in that tournament.”

“You made it in the war,” Harry said as he put his arm around Hermione’s shoulder, “You got through that you so you could have gotten through anything.”

Hermione shook her head, “The war was different…I wouldn’t have survived it without…well, without you.”

Harry passed the tub back to Hermione and shook his head, “Don’t kid yourself Hermione, if you hadn’t been there that snake bite would have killed me. _I _wouldn’t have gotten through the war without you, or Ron, I mean he saved my life in that lake.”

Hermione nodded, the conversation stilted for a moment until someone emerged from the dungeons and made their way over to the goblet.

Harry snorted quietly and Hermione frowned, “What?” she asked in an undertone as the boy glanced around to make sure no one was looking and threw a bit of paper into the goblet of fire. He then speedily made his way back to the dungeons.

“That’s the equivalent of Malfoy putting his name in the goblet in 4th year,” Harry said in vague amusement.

Hermione gave Harry a disapproving look, “Harry, you may have hated him, but Malfoy was smart in school, smarter than you, he was always just a few marks below me in every class.”

“Yeah, he might have been smart but my point is he was a coward, and so is that Slytherin kid,” Harry said, snatching the tub from Hermione and eating some more ice cream.

“Harry, don’t you remember everyone talking behind your back when they thought that you had put your name in the goblet? This is what you’re doing to these kids,” Hermione said, it was clear that she disapproved.

“But, _I _didn’t put my name in the goblet,” Harry pointed out.

“It’s the same thing.”

“No it isn’t,” Harry said, and he then decided to change the subject, “I reckon Gabrielle will be the champion for Beauxbatons.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Hermione agreed, “If she’s as similar in personality as she is in looks to Fleur then she will make a good champion.”

“She still has a crush on me,” Harry said with a chuckle, “I felt so sorry for her the other day, I kissed her on the cheek like I did with Fleur and she got rather embarrassed.”

“She’s 18 Harry, don’t try anything,” Hermione said.

Harry looked at her in disbelief, “Do you seriously think I would sleep with a pupil?”

“You sleep with your staff,” Hermione said.

“Yes, consenting, of-age, adults,” Harry whispered, “That’s acceptable, sleeping with a pupil is definitely not.”

“Good,” Hermione said firmly, “I’m glad we’re on the same page,” she added. Then she went back to looking at the goblet.

“What about the Durmstrang kids? Who do you reckon will get picked?” Harry asked.

“We can’t really call them kids, can we? They’re only 6 or 7 years younger than us,” Hermione said, but Harry merely shrugged and said, “So what do you reckon?”

“I don’t know,” Hermione said, “They’re all pretty cocky, you can tell they’ve been coached by their new Headmaster.”

“Have you noticed how many of them slick back their hair?” Harry asked with a snigger, and although she disapproved a lot of the time this was one area that Hermione rarely disagreed with Harry on so she let herself chuckle. It was true, the Durmstrang boys seemed to embody Draco slightly.

Hermione yawned and looked at the time, “Are you actually going to sit here and watch this all night?”

“Nah,” Harry replied as Hermione’s yawn caught on. He yawned too, “I’m going to head to bed soon. I have 1st year Slytherins and Gryffindors first thing tomorrow.”

“Good luck with that,” Hermione said, she then paused as the Auror that was on duty passed close by their spot on the stairs. Hermione hadn’t realised until now who it was. Seamus stopped for a moment and listened and then continued his patrol of the entrance hall.

“Seamus is the Auror guarding the goblet?” Hermione asked in amusement.

Harry nodded with a slightly evil smile, “I had so much fun making noises and throwing things. He was convinced it was Peeves, then I did my bloody baron voice and really freaked him out.”

Hermione sniggered as she remembered the time he had impersonated the baron to frighten Peeves.

“Well if you’re quite done teasing Seamus I think I’ll go to bed,” Hermione said, waving her wand and causing the ice cream tub and spoons to vanish.

“That’s a good idea,” Harry said with yet another yawn. They stood up carefully and hunched over. They could just make it up the marble stairs onto the grand staircase without their feet showing. Hermione smiled as they walked up the stairs, it had been a good 7 years since she had been this close to Harry under the cloak and it brought back good memories from their Hogwarts days. When they reached the grand staircase Harry took the cloak off and kissed Hermione on the cheek, “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.”

“You might not, I have some work to do so I’ll probably eat in my quarters, but I’ll come by your office in the afternoon to go over the preparations for tonight,” Hermione called as she walked away. Harry merely gave her a small wave and started the trek up the grand staircase to the Headmasters tower.


	3. The Goblet of Fire

When Hermione opened the door of Harry’s office, she tentatively called out, “Harry!” before entering.

“One minute Hermione!” Harry called from inside. Hermione sighed and prepared to see Daphne leaving the office when she heard movement inside.

The door was pulled back and Hermione did a double take when she saw the person behind it.

“Aurora,” Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

Aurora Sinistra had been a young teacher when they were at school, but she was still a good bit older than Harry. She was probably in her mid-30’s now, but despite the fact she was about 10 years older than him, she was gorgeous. She was tall with golden brown skin and long, deep brown hair.

“Hermione,” Aurora said politely, “It’s nice to see you.”

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Hermione admitted, “The fact that Harry thinks sleeping with his staff is okay or the fact that you think sleeping with an ex-pupil is okay.”

“I only taught him in 1st and 2nd year,” Sinistra said in a faint attempt to defend herself.

“I thought you had a thing for Charlie Weasley,” Hermione said as the door was completely pulled back by Harry.

“I did, but…well I’m pretty sure he swings the other way,” Sinistra said slightly awkwardly.

“Trust me,” Hermione said with a small smirk, “He doesn’t.”

Aurora did a double take then quickly left the office. Harry raised an eyebrow at Hermione and beckoned for her to come inside, “You and Charlie?”

“It was only for a couple of months in 2002 when I was working over in Romania,” Hermione said, trying to brush it off as she sat down in her chair across from his desk, “We bonded over dragon welfare.”

“Wow, what a romance,” Harry teased, “But you never told me about that one.”

“Yes well, you don’t need to know everything about my love life,” Hermione said with a slight glare, “Although unfortunately I seem to know everything about yours.”

“That’s because you seem to choose inconvenient times to visit,” Harry said as he sat down in the chair behind the desk and sighed, “It’s been a busy morning.”

“Has it?” Hermione asked sarcastically, “Is sleeping with a staff member 10 years your senior hard work?”

Harry fixed her with an exasperated look, “I’m starting to think that whatever I do, you’re going to disapprove. But for your information, I did have class this morning.”

“Well I actually do have some taxing work for you,” Hermione said irritably, “We are attempting to run a tournament here or did you forget about that?”

“Alright,” Harry said calmly, “You are in a foul mood today so I won’t even ask why, but what’s the plan for today?”

Hermione replied curtly, “We will go to the hall as usual for the feast and everything will occur as planned. You will open the feast and be a gracious host, you will make a speech entirely on your own unless you want me to start telling all of the women who you are sleeping with about that one time you got drunk and slept with-’

“Alright!” Harry interrupted with a glare of his own, “Do you know what I had to do to stop that from getting out to the press?”

“I don’t and I don’t want to,” Hermione said harshly, “But I am sick of you getting me to do your dirty work. You are the Headmaster and you will do the talking tonight.”

“Fine,” Harry agreed.

“After the feast you will announce the champions as they come out of the goblet and then we will take them into the antechamber off of the hall and I will explain the rules,” Hermione finished.

Harry nodded, and the air was awkward and silent between them for a moment.

“I’m sorry Hermione,” Harry sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, “I’m stressed right now, I hate this bloody tournament as much as you do. I just wanted a nice peaceful first year as Headmaster, and now I’m worrying about every little thing that could go wrong.”

Hermione knew that his playful front was just that, a front. But sometimes the fact that Harry wouldn’t even let _her _beyond his wall, hurt. Once upon a time she had been inside that walled fortress, part of it, one of the few who saw who he really was every day. Years of pain had slowly being closing him off more each day.

“I’m stressed too Harry, but please can we agree to stop taking it out on each other? You’re my one ally in this game of politics,” Hermione said, she knew it sounded slightly desperate but she was at the point where she didn’t really care anymore.

Harry nodded and walked around the desk to hug her, it helped, but Hermione still felt frustrated about the way Harry had gone about his life so far.

“Now that we’ve made that promise, you can’t yell at me for what I’m about to tell you,” Hermione said as she got to her feet and began to pace the office.

“How bad is it?” Harry asked, grimacing slightly as he sat back down in his chair.

“Well tonight all of the judges are required by the rules to be there…to announce the champions and explain the rules,” Hermione said, chewing her lip anxiously.

“So?” Harry asked, not understanding what she was implying at first.

“So, Susan will be here tonight,” Hermione said, and she watched helplessly as Harry slowly began to break apart all over again. His face fell, the twinkle in his eyes vanished and a cold look replaced it.

Harry sighed heavily and literally deflated slightly. The words that had come out of Hermione’s mouth had affected him like they were a physical blow.

“Did you ever…” Harry began, a lost look in his eyes, “Did you ever find out why? Was it something I did? Or did she just leave?”

He seemed completely lost and broken and Hermione wished there was something she could do to help, but she couldn’t because she didn’t have the answers Harry wanted, “No,” Hermione admitted, “I don’t see her very often anymore.”

“It’s not like it matters anymore,” Harry said, his gaze stuck on the wall across from his desk.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright tonight?” Hermione asked gently, she didn’t want to upset or irritate Harry but she was worried about him.

Harry nodded, “I’ll be fine…”

“Harry,” Hermione said slowly and quietly, “If she happened to be single again and sorry about what happened would you…” she trailed off.

“No, I think it’s over, we had our time and our chance and it…well it’s gone,” Harry said with a deep frown on his face. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to forgive Susan for what she had done, if he tried to get back into a relationship with her he’d probably always resent her, it just wouldn’t be the same again.

Hermione chose that moment to change the subject which made Harry happy, “Oh, I got a letter today from Kingsley,” she said, “He gave me the dates of the three tasks.”

This cheered Harry up slightly, “Oh, can you give me any hints?”

Hermione smiled as she sat back down across from him, “Better, I can give you the dates.”

This brought a smile back to his face, “What are they?”

“The first task will be on the 27th of November, the second task will be on the 26th of February and the final task will be on the 25th of June,” Hermione said, she smirked slightly, “Do you think you can handle sitting next to Draco for that long? Virtually a whole school year.”

“I don’t mind him to be honest,” Harry said thoughtfully, “We’re quite similar in an odd way.”

“I spent so much time at Hogwarts telling you that and you completely ignored me,” Hermione said, faintly amused at her best friend.

“Hang on Hermione, speaking of Draco…I know how to piss Susan off! Pretend to be my girlfriend!” Harry said, the spark back in his eyes.

“No!” Hermione exclaimed, “She’ll be here for every task and the Yule Ball Harry, we would have to pretend for a whole year.”

Harry knew Hermione was right, but it didn’t mean he had to like it, “I want to do something to show her how much better off I am without her, to show her I’ve moved on, and what better way to do it than pretend I’m dating someone 10 times better than her?”

Harry missed the faint blush that spread over Hermione’s cheeks at his comment, he was too lost in his thoughts, his thoughts about Susan.

“Well I’m sorry Harry, but you aren’t using me just to get back at your ex,” Hermione said gently.

Harry nodded, “I know Mione, that wouldn’t be fair. I’d ask Daphne, but I know she would never go along with it.”

“Why?” Hermione asked, out of curiosity more than anything else.

“She’s scared of commitment, I think,” Harry said, “It’s why we make such a good pair, both of us are broken beyond repair.”

“You aren’t broken,” Hermione said, her voice a little frail as she made her way around the desk, “Just a little rough around the edges.”

Harry gave a bitter chuckle and let Hermione hug him, “Maybe,” he said.

“I can think of one way I can help you out for the meeting with Susan,” Hermione said as she grabbed Harry by the arm and led him upstairs towards the bedroom.

Harry chuckled, his sense of humour back as he joked about how this was inappropriate behaviour for two friends.

“You’re going to help me get dressed, aren’t you?” Harry asked in amusement when they walked into the bedroom.

“Yes,” Hermione said as she pulled her wand out, “But first I’m tidying up.”

Harry never realised how skilled Hermione was at the everyday things, he knew that she was a fantastic witch of course, but he was still surprised when in 5 minutes she had the room back to its original state.

Hermione then proceeded to walk into Harry’s huge wardrobe and look through his clothes, trying to find something that would make him stand out when he saw Susan. In the end she decided on a slick, serious look so she came out of the wardrobe with black trousers, a purple shirt and black robes with a silver hem.

“Are you sure it won’t be too much?” Harry asked as he examined the clothes.

“It’s fine,” Hermione assured him, “But go shower first, you have time.”

“Alright,” Harry said, he didn’t hesitate in stripping down to his boxers and throwing his clothes in a pile on the bed. He had no shame anymore, but Hermione wondered if this was something he only did around her, they were acquainted with each other from the time they had spent together during the war, but Hermione had always been a little more dignified than Harry. He slipped away to the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom and while he was gone Hermione tidied up some more, she changed the bed covers and folded the clothes that had been flung carelessly in the wardrobe. She sighed, Harry had always been messy, but never this bad. Ever since Susan had left he hadn’t been the same, but she saw flashes of the boy she had known, and she wished they lasted longer than a few minutes.

Harry didn’t know it, but Hermione put on a front too, one that he used to be able to see past, but he didn’t anymore, not all of the time. She smiled at him when he emerged from the bathroom and they talked about meaningless things as she cut his hair and helped him dress, but then there was the awkward part of any moment like this. Hermione had being doing this for Harry since his first public appearance a week after the war, and ever since the accident this moment always came.

“Do you need me to?” Hermione asked and although Harry hated his injury and hated relying on people he nodded. Hermione sat down cross-legged on the floor and pulled on his socks for him, then she helped him push his feet into his shoes and tied his laces. She pushed herself up into a standing position and glanced at Harry, the shame on his face made Hermione sad, but it also confused her. He had no shame about being naked, but he had shame about the fact he couldn’t do a few things, like tie his shoe laces.

Hermione glanced at the time, “Harry, we still have an hour or so until the feast.”

Harry grimaced but didn’t attempt to stand up, “No Hermione…”

“Look it hasn’t been bad for a while, but if I don’t then it could get worse…please don’t let that happen again,” Hermione said, practically begging Harry.

“It…”

“It’s painful, I know, but you won’t go back to St. Mungo’s, and you know it will be much more painful if they do it than if I do,” Hermione said, chewing her lip and feeling guilty.

“Okay,” Harry agreed finally, he undid his shirt and winced as he let it fall onto the floor. He knew what to do, Hermione had once done this often when the injury was new and fresh. He lay down face first on the bed and clenched his teeth, waiting for the pain.

Hermione had seen the scar so many times, but it never got any easier for her, she was glad that Harry couldn’t see her grimace. The scar was deep and it always looked angry even though it was 4 years old now, it was about 60 centimetres long and stretched from his lower back to his mid-back.

Hermione took out her wand and muttered the charm she knew well, a red wave flew out of her wand and went inside Harry’s skin. He had been through hell, he had gone through the cruciatus curse, he had been tortured by Lord Voldemort himself, but that was nothing compared to the spell that was to supposed to help ‘heal’ him. Harry gripped the pillow in his hands tightly and shouted in agony, Hermione didn’t want to cry, but she always ended up shedding a few tears. She hated knowing that she was putting her friend in so much pain.

The spell began to work through the muscles in Harry’s back, soothing and loosening everything, she closed her eyes and felt the magic talk to her. She could have been a healer, but she didn’t like seeing people in pain. The muscles in his back had been stretched so tight they felt like they might have snapped. Harry was supposed to have treatment every 6 months, but it had been over a year since Hermione had done this.

She knew the pain he was in, she had gone through it after the war when the healers thought she had done permanent damage to a muscle in her leg. It had only taken two treatments and she had never been bothered by the pain again, but Harry’s injury was much more extensive. It felt like your skin was on fire, you could feel the searing, like your flesh was burning off. It wasn’t of course, but that was how it felt. When cast wrong this spell was brutal, it could incinerate a person in seconds, it could cause flesh to turn black and die. Hermione had to be careful to cast it right, to keep the magic flowing and to never, _ever_, let the spell remain under Harry’s skin for longer than 5 minutes, if that happened his skin would start to bubble with the intense heat of the charm.

Before the war Hermione had been squeamish about blood, and charms such as this one. Now however things were extremely different. Harry was all she had, and if she hadn’t learned to do this then he would probably be in a much worse situation now, paralysed from the waist down, according to the healers, if he hadn’t gotten the right care quickly enough. Luckily he had.

“Hermione,” Harry gasped, taking his hand off of the pillow and stretching it out slightly. Careful not to misdirect the spell Hermione took Harry’s hand with her left one and shut her eyes again as she heard him moan in pain.

Susan had never been great at healing charms, she was into sport, she always had been, and while she had gotten by okay in school she had never been exceptional. She hadn’t known the charm and she hadn’t felt comfortable doing it, so the task had fallen to Hermione who had contemplated training as a healer before going into the Ministry. Harry had never wanted Susan in the room while he had his treatments, but Hermione knew that she had heard the screams of pains, she had heard Harry beg Hermione to stop the pain, and that had been enough. Hermione didn’t think Susan would have been able to handle being in the room with Harry through these sessions.

After what felt like eternity Hermione’s wand vibrated slightly and the second she felt that slight vibration she ended the spell. Harry had tensed up as his natural reaction to the pain, but the moment that it stopped his whole body went loose and he seemed to melt into the bed. Hermione tucked her wand away and sat down on the edge of the bed, by instinct her hand found his hair which was coated with sweat from only 5 minutes of the spell, he was breathing heavily and either didn’t have the strength or willpower to push her hand away when she ran it through his wet hair.

“Better?” Hermione asked gently as Harry’s body slowly began to recover. He gave a small nod, but said nothing.

“Can you sit up?” Hermione asked, still stroking Harry’s hair. Again he nodded so Hermione helped him sit up and propped him up against the pillows.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” She said, she knew he was still too weak to speak. The treatment took a lot out of him, but he was usually alright about half an hour after it.

Hermione made her way into the office where she threw some floo into the fireplace and said Daphne’s name, the fire came to life and Hermione heard the tapping of heels across an office before she saw Daphne’s face appear in the fire.

“Hermione,” She said politely.

“Hi Daphne,” Hermione said, just as politely, “I wondered if you had any pain relief potion around at the moment? I know I could ask Poppy, but she’s always so low and I feel guilty for taking it from her.”

“Sure,” Daphne said, “I’ll pop through with it.”

“You can just pass it through the fire,” Hermione said quickly as Daphne’s face vanished, she bit her lip, Harry would go crazy if Daphne saw him the way he was at the moment.

Hermione couldn’t do anything about it though, she couldn’t stop Daphne from walking through the fire or strutting towards the staircase.

“No, Daphne, don’t go up there,” Hermione said desperately as she hurried up the stairs after the woman, “He doesn’t want-”

Hermione couldn’t finish what she was trying to say in time, Daphne had already walked into the room.

“I brought you a pain relief potion,” Daphne said to Harry whose eyes snapped open in shock, “Just like Hermione asked, but I think you owe me an explanation as to why you need it.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” Harry said under his breath, “You’re someone I have sex with every so often, not my girlfriend,” his breathing was irregular and harsh, “Get out,” he all but growled.

“You’re right, I’m not your girlfriend. Who would want to date a cripple like you?” Daphne asked bitterly as she threw the vial of potion onto the bed.

“Hermione,” Harry said in a dangerous tone of voice, “Get her out of my sight, _now_.”

Hermione was a fantastic witch, people always underestimated her quick spell casting however. In seconds she had levitated Daphne and pushed her back, slightly forcefully onto the landing outside the door. With her wand she shut the door and locked it, not just with alohomora, but with stronger locking charms too. Daphne made a childish noise of frustration and stormed away down the stairs.

“I’m sorry Harry,” Hermione said, “I tried to make sure she didn’t come through the floo, but I couldn’t overpower her.”

Harry shook his head, still feeling weak, “Don’t worry about it,” he said, trying to force a smile and failing miserably.

“Did you have feelings for her?” Hermione asked.

Harry sighed, “You heard what I just said to her.”

“I know what you _said,_ but I don’t believe that it was true,” Hermione said, “You don’t just spend summers in Greece with someone because they’re a good shag.”

“She was good company too, I suppose,” Harry admitted grudgingly.

“So you did have feelings for her.”

“I do have feelings for her, is that what you want to hear?” Harry asked irritably.

“Yes, it re-affirms that you are not a terrible person after all,” Hermione replied matter of factly.

“Great, can I have that pain potion now?” Harry asked sarcastically.

Hermione handed it over silently.

“Thank you,” Harry said gratefully and he drank the contents of the entire vial in one gulp.

“How do you feel?” Hermione asked as she set about cleaning him up a little.

“Like every muscle in my body is screaming at me,” Harry replied, already sounding just a little bit brighter.

“The usual then,” Hermione joked and Harry actually chuckled.

“How long do we have until I have to make an appearance downstairs?” Harry asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“30 minutes, so we should leave in 15,” Hermione replied as she went into Harry’s wardrobe and got him a new pair of trousers since the ones he was wearing were soaked through.

“Do you need a hand?” She asked, but Harry shook his head and got to his feet, he was a little shaky but he seemed to be in less pain. Hermione tried not to watch or hover over him as he changed his trousers and redid his shoe laces then put on his shirt again. She passed him his cloak and helped him into it and then glanced at the time.

“Ready?” She asked, and she wasn’t just asking if he was physically ready for what was to come, she was asking if was mentally ready to see Susan again.

“As ready as I’ll be ever be,” Harry replied, he held his arm out to Hermione who slipped her arm through it with a small smile. Together the two friends made their way down to the great hall for the Halloween feast.

***

“Hermione, you know how you asked me if I was ready?”

“Yes?”

“I lied,” Harry said, swallowing a lump in his throat as he and Hermione walked to the front of the entrance hall to greet Susan.

Hermione glanced over at Harry and saw so many things in his eyes, longing for the woman standing on the other side of the hall, resentment towards her, and more than a little anger.

They were still arm and arm and Harry was gripping Hermione’s arm so tightly that she couldn’t remove it even if she wanted too.

“You will be fine Harry,” Hermione promised, gently tying to ease her arm out of his grasp. Harry loosened it and let Hermione free her arm, she slipped her hand into his instead and he sent her a small smile, a gesture that he appreciated her support.

Harry kept his eyes on the ground until they reached Susan who was leaning against the wall waiting for them. She didn’t look any different to Hermione, still as beautiful as she had when she had been dating Harry. Susan had long red hair that was poker straight and flowed down to the middle of her back, she had emerald green eyes, slightly darker than Harry’s. She was any man’s perfect woman really.

“Harry,” Susan greeted politely when the pair approached her.

Harry dropped Hermione’s hand and looked up at his ex-girlfriend, “Susan,” he said in the same tone.

“It’s good to see you,” Harry said, forcing the words out of his mouth.

“Don’t bullshit me Harry, you don’t want me to be here at all,” Susan said, she crossed her arms over the pale blue robes she was wearing.

“You’re right,” Harry said honestly, “I’ve been dreading this since the moment I heard. I’d rather have Ludo Bagman back again.”

“He’s in St. Mungo’s with mental health issues,” Susan said with narrowed eyes.

“Exactly,” Harry said with a false smile.

“Funny,” Susan remarked sarcastically.

“How’s life been treating you?” Harry asked, really not caring about her life or what she had been doing recently.

“Not too bad, but it obviously hasn’t done much for you. Still a skinny runt I see,” Susan said with a raised eyebrow.

“Trust me,” Hermione said with a smirk, “You haven’t seen him naked for a while, he isn’t a skinny runt.”

Harry grinned at Hermione and Susan raised an eyebrow at the woman, “Really? I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“Well that’s a shame, because you won’t be seeing it,” Harry said, the bitterness in his voice made it clear that he was still harbouring feelings for the redhead.

“No, but from what I hear most of the staff of Hogwarts do on a regular basis,” Susan said, but the dig didn’t bother Harry.

“What about you? Are you still dating that woman you left me for?” Harry asked, again sounding very bitter.

Susan narrowed her eyes at Harry, “No, we went our separate ways, if you must know.”

“Really? I’m almost sad to hear that,” Harry said sarcastically, “Did she break up with you or did you run away again?”

Susan didn’t let the dig get to her, she was pretty thick skinned, “It was a mutual agreement actually.”

“A mutual break up?” Harry asked in mock surprise, “Wow, that must be nice. Not that I’d know, I’ve never experienced it.”

Hermione chose this point to interject in the argument, she took a step forward and said, “Look, I know this is difficult for the two of you, but I need you to put your differences aside for the moment. Can you please just put on a united front for the press for the duration of the tournament?”

Susan uncrossed her arms and pushed herself off of the wall, “I can do that Hermione, he’s the one who seems to struggle controlling himself.”

“Harry can control himself perfectly well,” Hermione said with a glance to her best friend, “After all he is the responsible Headmaster of Hogwarts now.”

“Which has great pay by the way,” Harry said to Susan, “Which I would have used to buy you a nice house if you hadn’t ran away.”

“Harry, this is not you controlling yourself,” Hermione muttered under her breath.

“And I’m quite happy in my small flat thanks,” Susan said casually.

“Come on,” Hermione said before they could fight anymore, “We better get to the great hall, you have your announcement to make Harry.”

Harry nodded and walked towards the hall, leaving Hermione and Susan to walk a few steps behind him. The short walk to the great hall and down it to the head table was awkward and silent and felt like it took forever. Eventually they reached the head table and Harry politely told Susan to take her seat between Draco and Hermione.

When everyone was seated, the feast began and Harry stood up and gave a brief speech, “Happy Halloween!” he said, it felt strange, opening the feast like this. Halloween had never been a happy time for him, it was a reminder of his parent’s deaths.

“At the end of the feast the champions who will compete in the Triwizard Tournament will be announced, but until then, eat, drink and be merry!” Harry said, he then sat back down and the hall became loud with chatter and the sound of the plates and cutlery chinking together.

“Do you know what you’re going to say yet?” Draco asked from his side.

“No, I never plan speeches, I come up with them on the spot,” Harry explained as he helped himself to some food.

“That much is clear,” Draco drawled and Harry rolled his eyes but didn’t respond to the Slytherins jibe. Draco got bored and turned to Susan, and Harry happily spent the majority of the feast talking to Fleur about her children, and getting glared at by Daphne periodically.

“Why is Harry getting glared at by that blonde?” Susan asked as she surveyed her ex-boyfriend. The question wasn’t directed at anyone, but Hermione answered it.

“Because he’s spent the last few years sleeping with her and hanging out at her villa in Greece, and from what I witnessed I’m pretty sure he broke it off with her earlier today,” Hermione replied, she too glanced over at Harry just in time to catch him rolling his eyes at Daphne when he caught one of her glares.

“He’s been sleeping with her?” Susan asked, not quite believing it.

“Apparently so,” Draco cut in, “She was a Slytherin, in our year, her name is Daphne Greengrass.”

“I remember her,” Susan said as she looked at the woman, Hermione was worried the moment she saw envy in the redhead’s eyes.

“Why did he break it off?” Susan asked curiously, she wasn’t eating much and Hermione wondered why.

“Uh, she walked in after one of his treatments, he doesn’t like people seeing him that way…you’ll remember,” Hermione said, trying to keep her voice down so Draco didn’t hear.

“I remember,” Susan said slightly darkly, and nothing more was said. Hermione had to hide her glare and bottle her anger, it had maybe been a little difficult for Susan, but she hadn’t held his hand through it all, she hadn’t stroked his hair afterwards, or calmed him down when the seizures came. That had all been Hermione, Susan didn’t know the half of it.

“It’s not just her either,” Draco said, “Remember the Astronomy teacher? Sinistra?”

Susan nodded as she thought about the woman, then her eyes widened, “He’s sleeping with her too?”

“I’ve seen her slipping out of his office late at night,” Draco informed Susan.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “You shouldn’t be walking about the castle late at night Malfoy.”

“Who put you in charge Granger?” Draco retorted and Hermione rolled her eyes yet again and went back to her food.

“I don’t believe it,” Susan said with a chuckle, “I mean when I was dating him he was insecure and shy, and now he’s sleeping his way through the staff of bloody Hogwarts.”

Hermione swallowed a harsh comment about how Susan had made Harry that way and kept her mouth shut.

Draco seemed surprise at this news, “I didn’t know you and Potter dated.”

“Yeah,” Susan said with a small smile, “For a while.”

“A while? Try nearly 3 years,” Hermione said, unable to avoid letting this comment slip out.

“3 years?” Draco echoed, still surprised.

Susan nodded, she looked down at her plate, “Yeah, November 1999 until July 2002,” she said.

“Yeah, the _day _before Harry’s birthday,” Hermione said, saying it in a perfectly neutral and polite way but with underlying annoyance. She kicked herself, she was supposed to be the one making sure that everyone was getting on, not the one causing conflict.

“How come you didn’t see it all in the papers?” Susan asked, completely ignoring Hermione.

“I’ve lived in Europe since about a week after the final battle,” Draco explained, “I’ve taught at Durmstrang since the start of the 1998 term. I get the prophet sometimes, but I’m a little out of touch with life here.”

Upon hearing this news Susan proceeded on updating Draco on all of the big Quidditch achievements that he had missed out on in Britain. Hermione rolled her eyes and struck up a conversation with Neville who was on her other side.

“How is he?” Neville asked quietly.

“Not great,” Hermione replied, making sure Susan couldn’t hear them, “He’s still in love with her.”

“I thought he might be,” Neville said as he glanced at Harry who seemed to be trying to force himself through the feast. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a hipflask with his initials on it, he poured some into his drink and then poured some into Hermione’s.

“Firewhiskey,” He said with a wink and Hermione chuckled, “I appreciate it.”

“Is it true about him breaking it off with Daphne?” Neville asked and Hermione smiled slightly, “Well they had a pretty big fight this evening.”

Neville only gave a small nod, but Hermione saw right through him, “How long have you liked her for?”

Neville’s face turned a faint shade of pink, but he replied, “Merlin knows, since I arrived here pretty much, so about 4 years,” he sighed.

Hermione put her hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry Nev.”

“Don’t be,” Neville said, drinking from his firewhiskey infused pumpkin juice, “She’s much too good for me.”

“Don’t put yourself down,” Hermione told him, “No one is too good for you unless you tell yourself they are.”

“Thanks Hermione,” Neville said with a small smile, “Harry doesn’t deserve you.”

Hermione would normally have chuckled at this comment, but at the moment it hit home a little and she merely looked down, “He doesn’t deserve anyone at the moment, but he needs someone.”

“I’m glad you’re here to help,” Neville said honestly, “Trying to deal with him when you’re busy is tough. He only listens to you a lot of the time.”

“I miss the way he used to be Neville,” Hermione said with a sad sigh as she glanced over at Harry who was now talking to Draco and Susan.

“Who would have thought the precious chosen one would become such a player?” Draco was saying and Susan was chuckling.

“Hey you’re just jealous,” Harry said to Draco, and then he winked at Sinistra who was further along the table.

“I’m not jealous,” Draco said casually, “I sleep with people my own age.”

“Older woman are fantastic,” Harry said, just as casually and with an air of cockiness, “You should try it sometime.”

“Wow, you really are a complete arsehole,” Susan said, partly in jest and partly in surprise.

Hermione shook her head distastefully and only Neville saw the glint of sadness in her eyes.

“I miss who he used to be too,” Neville said in a whisper as he slipped her some more firewhiskey.

***

Eventually everyone finished eating and Harry got to his feet to make his speech. He caught Hermione’s eye and she smiled at him. Susan caught this exchange out of the corner of her eye and frowned. Hermione had a feeling that Harry’s speech might be genuine tonight, after all she had seen more of the Gryffindor boy she had known so well today than she had for a long time.

Harry made his way to the small podium at the front of the hall and took a breath before speaking.

“In a few moments the goblet of fire will make its decision,” Harry said sincerely to the eerily silent hall, “And the champions for each school will be chosen. Once your name has come out of the goblet there is no going back, a contract has been made in your name and you must see this tournament through. I know from personal experience how difficult it is, how painful it can be, and more than anything, how terrifying it is,” Harry was speaking from the heart and Hermione couldn’t keep the smile from her face.

“This tournament may be a competition, but more than anything it is a chance for you to make friends and experience a culture different to your own. Some of you may be sceptical and see these students from foreign schools as the ‘enemy’ but that isn’t the case. I made friends when I competed in this tournament, I made 3 fantastic friends for life,” Harry paused for a breath but didn’t break, he wanted to seem strong as Headmaster, “One of those friends sits next to me as a judge in this tournament, another sends me postcards every time he plays Quidditch in a new country, but the third doesn’t sit with me, or send me postcards,” Harry paused again, partly for dramatic tension and partly to pull himself together slightly, “Cedric Diggory became one of my close friends during the time I was involved in the Triwizard Tournament, and his death deeply affected me and his other close friends. Therefore this Tournament will be named for him, in his honour.”

Harry stopped speaking momentarily and rather than a round of applause there was an awed silence which made him uneasy. He looked to Hermione and saw her wiping a tear. McGonagall even looked impressed, she gave Harry a small nod as if to say that he had done the right thing.

The hall was still silent as Harry asked Filch to bring the goblet in and everyone waited with baited breath as the goblet was wheeled to the front of the hall. You could barely hear anyone breath as everyone, the staff included, watched the goblet to see who it would choose. After a few seconds the blue flames turned red and started spitting until a slightly burned bit of paper floated out. Harry caught it quickly with his seekers instinct and unfolded it.

“The champion for Beauxbatons Academy for Magic…” Harry said, and there was an intake of breath, “Is Gabrielle Delacour!”

Fleur beamed and clapped proudly as her little sister stood up with a grin and walked over to Harry who smiled, shook her hand and said congratulations. She walked past him and entered the door off of the great hall. The Beauxbatons girls were still cheering and clapping after she was gone.

Harry turned back to the goblet as its flames turned red and spat once more. Another slip of paper flew out and again Harry deftly caught it and looked at what was written on it.

“The champion for Durmstrang Institute is…” Harry paused once more, to create tension in the room, “Agmund Erikson!”

“Which one is he?” Hermione asked Neville in an undertone as a fairly muscular boy made his way towards Harry. He had shoulder length blonde hair, about the same shade as Draco’s, and he had blue eyes; he was fairly attractive.

“The cocky one,” Neville whispered back, “Malfoy’s prodigy.”

Hermione sniggered at this and was pretty sure that Draco heard since he shot them both a glare shortly after.

The boy reached Harry and shook his hand then followed Gabrielle into the antechamber. Harry turned to the goblet for the final time and waited for the flames to turn red and spit, which they did. The final slip of paper flew out of the goblet and Harry caught it as quickly as he had caught the last two. He glanced down at it and announced.

“Finally…the champion for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is…” Harry announced, leaving the longest pause yet just to create suspense, “Lacey Nott!”

Harry knew the girl well, she was a 7th year Slytherin, and she was the younger sister of Theodore Nott, who Hermione had gotten on well with when she returned to school. She stood up and made her way over to Harry from the Slytherin table with a grin on her face.

“Lacey Nott?” Hermione asked in a whisper, she was directing her question at Neville as she asked, “As in Theodore’s relation?”

“His little sister,” Draco replied, he clearly had amazing hearing because Susan was in between he and Hermione and she had talked rather quietly.

“I didn’t know he had a little sister,” Hermione said as she watched as Lacey reached Harry. She had brown hair reaching the middle of her back and light green eyes, the same colour of eyes that Theodore Nott had…

As the girl walked past the head table Hermione mumbled to herself, “She has the exact same eyes as Theo.”

“How would you know what colour Theo’s eyes were?” Draco asked, looking at Hermione suspiciously.

Hermione tried to cover up her mistake, but she couldn’t control the blush that spread across her cheeks, “Oh, we both came back to do our N.E.W.T’s…we were fairly close.”

“You don’t just remember someone’s eyes because they were your friend,” Susan said, her eyes were narrow and focused on Hermione, “Only one pair of eyes are burned in my mind and I know why that is,” she said with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione blushed again at what Susan was implying, Harry’s eyes were burned into her head, of course they were, you didn’t easily forget eyes like his, and they _had _dated for 3 years.

Thankfully for Hermione the feast ended there and amongst the movement of students, Hermione managed to get up and scurry towards Harry without too much hassle.

“Nice speech,” She said with a proud smile as they walked towards the antechamber together.

“I don’t know where it came from,” Harry admitted as he opened the door and held it for Hermione.

She smiled at him just before they walked over to the three champions, “The heart.”

Harry smiled, he knew deep down that she was right, but he hadn’t spoken from the heart in public like that for years now.

*******

Once in the antechamber, Harry and Hermione found themselves waiting for Draco, Fleur and Susan to arrive. When they did a few minutes later Hermione dove right into the explanation of the rules. Harry stood next to her and pretended to listen while she went through the boring part of the whole thing. He caught Draco’s eye a couple of times and gathered that the Slytherin was just as bored as he was.

“You won’t find out what the first task is until the day,” Hermione was saying after about 10 minutes of drabble about what would happen in the unlikely event that one of the champions died, “So try and prepare as best as you can, but prepare to go in blind.”

“Cheating is extremely against the rules by the way,” Harry chipped in, he smirked at Fleur.

“Yes,” Hermione agreed, “Thank you Harry. Cheating is forbidden, the whole point is that you do not find out what the task is until you face it. The first task will be on the 27th of November. Train as much as you can until then, and your mentor will tell you more nearer the time. Your mentor is your Headmaster or Headmistress.”

The three kids all nodded and left the room. Lacey passed Harry on her way out and said, “Thanks Professor Potter, for making me clean the hospital wing instead of banning me from entering.”

“I wouldn’t want to deny you the chance of a lifetime,” Harry said honestly, he was quite fond of the 7th year girl, “But don’t try and blow up anymore Hufflepuffs.”

“Yes sir,” Lacey said with a grin as she left the room with the other competitors. Draco and Fleur left too which left Harry, Hermione and Susan in the antechamber.

Susan approached Harry and said, “Whether you believe it or not, it was good to see you again Harry. I thought about you a lot…I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“Thanks,” Harry said because Susan was being genuine and he didn’t know what else to say.

“I’m sorry, about how things ended,” Susan admitted, “A note was a shitty way to end what we had.”

“Yeah,” Harry said quietly, “It was.”

“I hope we’ll get past this since we’re going to see a lot of each other this year,” Susan said, and Harry could only really nod.

“I’ll see you for the first task,” Susan said. She smiled, leant forward, kissed him on the cheek and then left the room.

“You okay?” Hermione asked as she linked her arm through Harry’s.

“Yeah,” Harry said, but he sounded crestfallen. He and Hermione left the antechamber and walked the length of the great hall in silence.

“So we were sort of right,” Hermione said with a smile, “Gabrielle is Beauxbatons champion.”

“I’m not surprised, but I think she’s a little bit more genuine than Fleur,” Harry said thoughtfully, “I know she’s different when you get to know her, but she seemed quite false at first.”

“Maybe it was her way of seeming strong as a champion,” Hermione suggested and Harry hummed thoughtfully at this idea.

“You were wrong about Hogwarts, you were certain that it wouldn’t be a Slytherin,” Hermione said, smirking slightly at Harry as they walked through the entrance hall together.

“Lacey Nott is an exception,” Harry admitted.

“What’s she like?” Hermione said, thinking of the age gap between her and her older brother. There must have been about a 7 year age gap between them.

“She’s a good kid,” Harry said with a fond smile, “She reminds me of you actually. She’s incredibly smart, gets the highest grades in the year, and her spell casting is not only accurate but extremely fast. She duels like someone who’s been through a war…she’s just amazing.”

“You think I’m amazing?” Hermione asked, smiling as they reached the marble stairs.

Harry looked at Hermione with a slight frown, “Why do you need to ask?” he asked in confusion, “Hermione, you are the brightest witch I know, you’re fantastic.”

Hermione smile widened, “It sounds like she’s your favourite student.”

Harry chuckled, “She’s sort of my prodigy. She loves DADA, it’s her best class and Merlin knows she’s good at it.”

They reached the top of the staircase where Harry and Hermione went their separate ways, “I think the reason I like her so much is because…she’s the way I imagine any kid of mine would have been if…” he swallowed a lump in his throat and looked down at the ground for a moment, “…if Susan and I had worked out.”

Hermione nodded, she looked sad, or sympathetic, Harry couldn’t quite work out which it was, “Then I hope she wins. For Hogwarts, and for you.”

“Yeah, so do I,” Harry said with a sad sort of smile.

“Night Harry,” Hermione said as she kissed Harry on the cheek.

“Night Hermione,” Harry said as he walked towards his office.


	4. The Headmaster's Protege

Susan didn’t have much to do now that the tournament was underway. She was mostly working through paperwork and she found it very tedious. She hadn’t been able to concentrate much that day, after seeing Harry the night before. She had a lot on her mind.

“Hey,” A familiar voice said as Ernie popped his head through the door.

Susan smiled, she felt a little better already for having company. She glanced at the time, “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“Free period,” Ernie said as he walked into the room holding a brown paper bag, “I brought burgers.”

“Aw Ern, you know me so well,” Susan said with a grin as he sat down across from her.

Ernie chuckled and handed her a burger from the bag then pulled one out for himself, “How was last night?”

“You were there, I imagine you saw most of it,” Susan said with a sigh as she bit into the burger.

“I teach Ancient Runes, they seat me at the far end of the table from the important people,” Ernie said, earning a chuckle from Susan.

“I did notice that you didn’t eat though,” Ernie said.

Susan shrugged, “I wasn’t particularly hungry. I wish they had sat me next to you. I’m going to be stuck between Malfoy and Hermione every time I have to go to that bloody school.”

“I thought you and Hermione got on?” Ernie asked through a mouthful of burger.

“We did,” Susan said, “When Harry and I were together. I never saw her after the break up and now she’s as pissed with me as Harry is.”

“I don’t know why, it’s not like you broke up _with her_,” Ernie said with a chuckle.

“She’s protective of him. She always has been that way with Harry and Ron…even when we were in school,” Susan said thoughtfully.

“Well when you’ve been through what those two have gone through together can you blame her?” Ernie asked gently.

“No, I guess I can’t,” Susan said honestly, because she couldn’t. Harry and Hermione had gone to hell and back together, nobody could compete with a friendship like that.

“Don’t get so down about it,” Ernie said, “You don’t have to see Harry again until the end of November, I see Hermione every bloody day at the moment.”

Susan smiled at that, it was true, “I guess,” she said, “But you also broke up with her and got Becky pregnant so…”

“So I’m the one to blame, I know,” Ernie said with a roll of his eyes, “But I’m sure she got a laugh out of the fact that doing that, ended my bloody career in the Ministry. Now I’m just the Ancient Runes professor that the kids throw cauldron cakes at.”

“If you’re trying to make me feel better about my life, it’s working,” Susan joked, “I lied to Harry about how things ended with Annie. I said it was mutual, I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing she cheated on me after I left him for her.”

“I think that’s fair enough,” Ernie reasoned, “Anyways, what did you think about the champions chosen last night?” he added, in an effort to change the subject.

***

The day after Ernie had treated Susan to burgers, she had decided to return the favour. She hadn’t been busy so she went out and bought sandwiches and doughnuts and apparated to Hogwarts, hoping to catch him in his office for lunch. Susan walked up the path quickly, luckily nobody was around, she glanced at the time, she shouldn’t bump into anyone. Most teachers would still be in their 4th period class, but Susan knew Ernie had a free period again.

She got through the school without too much trouble until she reached the 2nd floor where Ernie’s office was. She glanced at the entrance to the DADA tower where traditionally the DADA classroom, office and the teacher’s quarters were. Harry wouldn’t sleep there anymore though, he would sleep in the Headmaster’s tower now. She sighed and continued along the corridor, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t see the other person in the corridor until she walked into him.

“Oh,” Susan said as she looked up at the person she had bumped into, “I wasn’t paying attention, I’m sorry.”

Draco Malfoy looked a little startled but he smiled, “Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have been standing here spying.”

“Who are you spying on?” Susan asked, following Draco’s line of sight. He pointed into a classroom on the other side of the corridor that had been disused when they were in Hogwarts. The door was open enough for Susan to see that it was a Defence against the Dark Arts class, and there was more than one person teaching inside it.

“Why is she in his class?” Susan asked with a frown.

“Oh, she’s helping him with his boggart class apparently,” Draco said, vaguely amused.

“Is that a euphemism?” Susan asked with a chuckle.

“Merlin knows,” Draco said, shaking his head.

Susan chuckled once more and leant against the wall next to Draco.

“They spend a lot of time together,” Draco said, and Susan frowned a little, wondering why Draco was even bothered.

“Yeah, haven’t they always?” Susan said, only a little bit of bitterness coming through into her voice.

“True, but they usually had Weasel trailing along with them,” Draco said, he wrinkled his nose, “What happened to him anyway?”

“Nothing really,” Susan replied thoughtfully, “He got scouted by the Chudley Cannons and caught his big break. When he isn’t training or playing for England he’s training or playing for the cannons. They’re still friends, but he isn’t around much.”

“Who would have thought Weasel would have been the most successful out of those three?” Draco scoffed, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing.

“Oh I don’t know,” Susan said, “Maybe he’s the international Quidditch player, but then you have Hermione, head of her department before she’s even 25, and Harry, the youngest Headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. I’d say that’s pretty successful.”

“Yes, but despite it all Granger is still an insufferable know-it-all and Potter will always be scarhead to me,” Malfoy said as he smirked at Susan.

“You only call her that because secretly you admire her intelligence,” Susan said matter of factly, “And let’s face it, you’ve wanted her for years Malfoy.”

Draco scoffed, “Granger? Where are you getting _that _information from?”

“Your high school journals,” Susan replied with a smirk, “Maybe you should have been more careful about where you wrote them. I mean the library really isn’t that private you know?”

Draco paled slightly as Susan continued, “Now 6th year in particular was full of angst, much of it related to the fact Hermione Granger was falling for Ronald Weasley who was far beneath her. Do those words sound familiar to you?”

Draco narrowed his eyes at her, “You’re awfully conniving for a Hufflepuff.”

“Never judge a book by its cover,” Susan said smoothly, “Nobody belongs to one house alone, we all have a little bit of every house inside of us.”

Draco made an irritated noise in response.

“You ought to sleep with her while she’s still single,” Susan added, “Make that lifelong fantasy of yours come true.”

Before Draco could say anything else, she strutted off in the direction of Ernie’s office, leaving a red-faced Draco in her wake.

***

“So…you and Theodore Nott?”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Draco, “Did you come out here to grill me on my relationship with Theodore Nott or to eat toast?”

Draco threw the half-eaten slice of toast into the lake and said, “So you did have a relationship with him then?”

“What is it to you if I did?” Hermione asked calmly.

“It just intrigues me, I didn’t think you would go for a Slytherin. You being the good girl you are, with all of your…morals,” Draco said distastefully.

“Only you could make morals sound like a swear word,” Hermione said with an amused shake of her head, “And if it matters to you, Theo wasn’t your average Slytherin.”

“What, pray tell, is an average Slytherin then?” Draco asked with interest.

Hermione leant against a tree and surveyed him, “Someone who thinks they are above other people. Someone who is scheming, to the point of being nasty. Someone who is so ambitious they will put their own goals before those they love and the happiness of others. Someone who is so ambitious that they will become a dark lords bitch just to get ahead in life.”

“Are you just trying to describe me?” Draco asked.

Hermione cocked her head at him, “I was describing your Father actually, but hey if the shoe fits…”

“Harsh,” Draco said, “But you’re right, he was a typical Slytherin and I suppose, while we were at school, I was too. Theo is a nice guy, quietly clever, but with a dark sense of humour when you get to know him. I can see why he was your type.”

Hermione nodded thoughtfully and looked off over the lake.

“Why did it end?”

“That’s really none of your business,” Hermione reminded him.

“And? I would still like to know the answer,” Draco admitted, “After all, I was the best man at Theo’s wedding and I’m pretty miffed that I didn’t know that you were basically his first love.”

Hermione shrugged, “We were at school and we were in this little bubble. There was no Harry, no Ron, to judge me. There was no you to insult him for dating a Muggle-born. It was just this perfect, happy time but it could never have lasted in the real world…”

“Why not?”

Hermione frowned, “Well…in the nicest possible way Malfoy, because of people like you.”

Draco sighed, “Look Granger, I had no issues with Muggle-borns, I swear. I said and did what I did because I was trying to be the person my Father wanted me to be. I always admired you and the only thing I would have been if Theo had told me he was dating you, was jealous.”

Hermione looked up in surprise, “What?”

Draco smiled slightly, “You heard me,” he said as he headed towards the walkway to his ship, “You should come aboard sometime you know, I’ll give you the tour.”

Before Hermione could say anything more, he boarded the ship and left her feeling clueless in the grounds.

***

It was Friday and it had been 5 days since the champions had been announced. Harry was sitting in his office at 6pm waiting for a knock on the door.

He glanced at the small amount of notes he had taken, he had done it because Hermione advised him to, but he didn’t need them. He worked best on instinct.

_Knock, knock._

“Come in,” Harry called.

The door was pushed open and Lacey Nott walked in with a smile on her face, “Hey Professor Potter.”

“Evening Miss. Nott,” Harry said as he told her to take a seat.

Lacey did as asked and sat down across from him, she looked at him expectantly.

“You’re too happy for a Slytherin,” Harry observed, the girl was always smiling.

Lacey laughed, “I get told that I should have been a Ravenclaw a lot by my brother.”

“How is your brother?” Harry asked, “We went to Hogwarts together.”

“He’s good,” Lacey said with a smile, “He’s got two little girls now.”

“Tell him congratulations from me,” Harry said.

She nodded, “I will.”

“So, today we are supposed to talk about your strengths and weaknesses,” Harry said, “But I think I’ve got that covered already.”

Lacey leaned back in her chair, “Okay, try me.”

Harry smiled, he liked this kid, “Strengths - Defence against the Dark Arts, you can duel, you know your way around almost every creature in the forbidden forest. You ace potions, you know a good potion from a bad one, that kind of logic could save your life in this tournament.”

Lacey nodded and Harry continued, “You’ve got a good enough grasp on charms to know what to use depending on the task, and I know from what Professor Longbottom tells me that your knowledge of plants is beaten only by his. That’s another one that could come in very handy in the tournament.”

“Is that all?” Lacey asked, cocking her head at the Headmaster.

“You’ve got a good enough grasp on Ancient Runes to translate most scripts, your Arithmancy is good enough to help you out with logic puzzles or deciphering a code,” Harry added, Hermione didn’t think he was much of a Headmaster but he knew his students well, “This one might sound irrelevant, but it isn’t. You’re a fantastic flier, you are without a shadow of a doubt the best female seeker Hogwarts has seen since Ginny Weasley.”

“And weaknesses?” Lacey asked, surprised by how well the Headmaster knew her.

“Well, you don’t have many, but the big one that could give you trouble is Transfiguration,” Harry said, he felt guilty when Lacey’s face fell, “Professor McGonagall tells me that you’re an average student in her class, but let me tell you a secret,” Harry said, he leant forward slightly, “I could never do Transfiguration at Hogwarts, and I won the tournament _and _killed the most powerful wizard of all time. So don’t tell Professor McGonagall but the subject isn’t _that _important, the only thing you have to be good at is disguising yourself with Transfiguration, and I think we both know you can do that.”

Lacey grinned, Harry often caught her wandering the corridors late at night with her skin the same colour as the stone walls so she wouldn’t be seen, but he always caught her. Yet, Harry never punished her, he just laughed and told her to get back to her dormitory.

“What about Divination?” Lacey asked, “I’ve never taken it, and I only took Astronomy in 1st and 2nd year.”

“Divination is the most useless subject in this school,” Harry said loosely, “The only reason it’s still taught here is because I owe a lot to Professor Trelawney, so don’t worry about that. Can you work out which way is North without a compass in the dark?”

“Well yeah, I could just use a four-point charm,” Lacey said as if this were obvious.

“What if you didn’t have your wand? Could you work out which way North was by the stars?’ Harry asked.

Lacey nodded, “I remember enough to do that.”

“Then that’s probably all you will need,” Harry said, “So that leaves History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures.”

“I don’t see how History of Magic will be useful,” Lacey said sceptically.

“Don’t think that way,” Harry said in a warning tone. “Everything you have learned at Hogwarts will be useful in this tournament. You need to know the background of the kind of creatures you run into, what would you do if you were given a riddle about one of the goblin rebellions?”

“Apart from snore?” Lacey asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, “Don’t be smart about it.”

“Sorry Professor,” Lacey said apologetically.

“It’s also useful to know about the history of the tournament so you can work out if there is a pattern to any of the tasks, it might give you a better idea of what to expect,” Harry added and Lacey nodded.

“So, Care of Magical Creatures?”

“I’m okay, I took it in 3rd and 4th year,” Lacey replied.

“As long as you know how to respect and treat creatures such as centaurs, hippogriffs and unicorns then you should be okay,” Harry said, “I think you’ve got this covered.”

“So what do I do now?” Lacey asked.

“Well in a week the weighing of the wands will take place,” Harry said to the girl. “It’s just to check your wand is okay and to make sure that it won’t malfunction at any point in the tournament. On the same day a reporter will interview you for the prophet and probably take a few pictures. How do you feel about the press?”

Lacey shrugged, “They are a necessary evil.”

Harry grinned, “I like your attitude, it’s perfect for this tournament.”

“What happens after the weighing of the wands?” Lacey asked.

“You train, you are supposed to do it on your own but I had help from my friends. Read up on areas you think you’re weak on, and come to me if you need any help,” Harry said simply.

Lacey nodded, “Train, read, come to you if I need help. Got it.”

Harry smiled and told Lacey that she was free to go then saw her out of his office. With her gone he locked the door and sat down at his desk to do some marking.

***

Sometime after midnight the fire in Harry’s office roared to life and he walked over to it, he hunched down and saw Daphne’s face in the fire.

“Hey,” She said sheepishly, “Can I come through?”

“Sure,” Harry replied, he wasn’t particularly bothered about Daphne coming into his office. At the end of the day she was still a member of his staff and it had been her sending him daggers all week, he hadn’t had any part in it.

Harry stepped back from the fireplace and a few seconds later she materialised in front of him. She wasn’t in her work clothes, she rarely was when she came by this late at night. Instead she was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and an old Slytherin jumper.

“Hey,” Harry said as he leant against his desk and waited for her to speak. She clearly had something on her mind.

“I’m sorry,” Daphne said after a moment of awkwardness, “I shouldn’t have barged in the other day.”

“Apology accepted,” Harry said simply, “Is that why you came by?”

Daphne sighed and stepped forward. She dropped a pile of parchment on his desk, “The results of the 7th year test paper for the N.E.W.T,” she explained as she sat down in a chair in front of the desk.

“Look at Lacey’s,” Daphne added.

Harry looked through the pile for her name, he found it and whistled when he looked at the mark on the front of the paper, “99.4%”

“She dropped the 0.6% for spelling one word incorrectly,” Daphne said, just as impressed as Harry, “That girl is amazing.”

“She got 99.6% in my mock N.E.W.T for Defence,” Harry told Daphne, “And she only dropped the 0.4% because one of her answers was too long.”

Daphne shook her head in disbelief, “When we were at school I was one of the best in Potions and my highest mark was 97%.”

“I got 100% in my Defence N.E.W.T,” Harry admitted.

“Well, that’s hardly surprising,” Daphne said with a chuckle.

“She reminds me of Hermione,” Harry confided to Daphne, “You know, she might beat Hermione’s top scores at this rate.”

“What are her top scores?” Daphne asked curiously.

“She got 99.8% or over in everything apart from Defence, she only got 91% for that,” Harry told Daphne.

She laughed, “Only 91%?”

“Do you want a drink?” Harry asked as he poured himself a small glass of firewhiskey.

“Sure,” Daphne said, accepting the glass Harry handed her.

“Cheers, to Hogwarts having a fantastic champion,” Harry said as he chinked his glass against Daphne’s.

“Does she have any big weaknesses that the others might try and exploit?” Daphne asked.

“Her transfiguration isn’t great, I was going to ask you to coach her,” Harry admitted.

“Me? Surely Hermione is a better option,” Daphne said, surprised that Harry was asking her.

“Maybe, but I want you to do it,” Harry said simply, “You’re her head of year and I’m the Headmaster, together we’ll do a good job of coaching her.”

“You realise coaching a champion is cheating, and that cheating is against the rules, don’t you?” Daphne asked in amusement.

“Cheating is a traditional part of the tournament Daphne,” Harry said with a smirk, “In fact, I would never have won without it.”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “That’s a rather Slytherin way to do things, Potter.”

Harry chuckled and leant forward, “Well it may surprise you, Greengrass, but I was a hatstall. I practically had to beg the hat not to put me in Slytherin because Ron had put the fear of God into me that I’d turn evil if I went there.”

Daphne leant back and surveyed him, “Now there’s an image.”

“What, me as a Slytherin?” Harry joked, “I think the robes might have clashed with my eyes.”

Daphne shook her head, she had a far away look in her eyes, “No…the thought of what might have been if you had let the hat put you in Slytherin. Maybe Draco would have been your Weasley and I might have been your Hermione.”

Harry caught her eye then, he detected a little bit of longing in her voice, “You’re important to me too Daphne.”

“Am I?” Daphne quipped, “Because we holidayed together every summer, we slept together at least once a week but I feel like I’m nothing to you.”

Harry sighed and grabbed her hand, “I know I don’t tend to show my feelings much and I definitely find it hard to commit. But you…you are the closest thing I’ve had to a relationship since…since everything happened.”

“Then why won’t you tell me about it?” Daphne asked, she held his gaze.

“Because I’m afraid if I tell you how bad it is, this will be over and…as much as I tried to end it, I don’t want it to end,” Harry said honestly,

Daphne leant across the desk and captured his lips in a kiss, “Then maybe you need to learn how to let me in Harry,” she whispered.

Harry shut his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, “It’s bad.”

“Then tell me how bad it is and let me make a decision about whether I can hack it,” Daphne said quietly, “Don’t make that decision for me.”

There was a long silence, and Daphne had begun to give up on getting an answer. Then, just as she was about to pull away, Harry began to speak, “After it happened, the healers gave me a long-term diagnosis that within 5 to 10 years, I would probably be paralysed from the waist down.”

Daphne drew back in surprise, Harry looked down at the table, unable to meet her gaze.

“2 years Harry,” Daphne said quietly.

Harry looked up in surprise, “What?”

“This thing between us has been going on for 2 years,” Daphne said as she looked him straight in the eye, “And you never told me because of what, fear or embarrassment? Well do you know what? As stupid as it was of me, I fell in love with you that first summer in bloody Greece and if I had known the truth from the beginning…”

“What?” Harry asked sharply, “How would it have changed anything?”

“It would have changed _everything_,” Daphne said angrily, “Because the big worry with this is that you can’t have kids, isn’t it?”

“I-”

“No, I know it is because I know you and I know how much you want a family,” Daphne cut in, “And I want that too, I wanted that with you and if I had known earlier that you had a time bomb ticking over your head, I wouldn’t have been such a coward and waited so long to tell you how I feel about you!”

Harry stared at her in disbelief. He had known there were feelings between them, he had admitted it to Hermione but the word ‘love’ being bandied around…that had surprised him.

“I don’t know what to say,” Harry admitted.

“Do you feel the same?” Daphne asked, “Because if you don’t, then I don’t think there is much more to say.”

“I care about you Daphne,” Harry said, he got up from the desk and walked around it to stand in front of her, “I care about you a hell of a lot. I didn’t just spend summers in Greece with you because of the sex. I did it because I enjoyed your company, because spending time with you makes me feel human again, because being with you makes me feel like I could be better. So yes, I think I do feel the same.”

The words came as a surprise and a revelation to both of them. To the point that they simply stared at each other for a moment before crashing together with more passion than ever before.

***

“What would you do if Draco Malfoy hit on you?”

Neville raised an eyebrow at Hermione, “Be surprised that he swings that way?”

Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed herself onto his workbench, “Not you Neville, me. Draco Malfoy just flirted with me.”

“Of course he did,” Neville said while he carefully planted a bulb.

“What do you mean, of course he did?” Hermione asked in surprise.

“I mean he’s had a thing for you for ages,” Neville said as if this were obvious, “He probably got a bloody hard-on when you slapped him in 3rd year.”

“Neville!” Hermione exclaimed in shock.

“What? It’s true. Didn’t you see the way he looked at you when you walked down the stairs looking hot as hell for the Yule Ball?”

Hermione’s cheeks flushed, “Jeez Neville, could you get any more blunt?”

“Hermione, I’ve been left alone in this greenhouse for 5 hours with mandrake bulbs that keep screaming if I touch them the wrong way,” Neville said calmly, “I have no filter anymore.”

Hermione shook her head, “And no I did not see that, because I was focusing on Viktor since I thought he was the only guy who would look twice at me back then.”

“Trust me, he wasn’t. I saw Malfoy gaping, and I say Parkinson slap him for it,” Neville said.

Hermione frowned, “But he hated me…”

“No, he just wanted his Father to think that he hated you,” Neville said, he took his gloves off and rubbed his ears, “Can we continue this conversation on the way to my quarters? I need coffee.”

“Yeah,” Hermione said thoughtfully, “So you think he liked me, all the way back in 4th year?”

“Uh-huh,” Neville said while they walked through the grounds together.

“I just can’t comprehend that,” Hermione admitted.

“That’s because you have a ridiculously low opinion of yourself for some strange reason. You are a beautiful woman Hermione, inside and out. You are witty, intelligent, you have such a wicked sense of humour and you are incredibly loyal and caring. How anybody wouldn’t want you is a mystery to me. Why Ernie left you for that mousy little thing I don’t know and Ron…well let’s face it you were always too good for Ron.”

“What about Sorenson?”

“I actually liked Sorenson,” Neville admitted, “He was a nice guy, he was good to you and I think you might have married him if it hadn’t been for the fact he kept trying to die on you.”

“Yeah,” Hermione sighed, “I loved Sorenson, I really did. But I couldn’t handle the whole Auror thing. It was too much like being back in the war…sitting at home waiting for news or waiting for him to come home every night.”

Neville nodded, “I understand that. As for Theo Nott breaking up with you for Astoria Greengrass, that was his loss.”

“That wasn’t really how it went down,” Hermione reminded him as they stepped into the entrance hall together, “We mutually agreed that it probably wouldn’t work once we left Hogwarts.”

“Then 3 days out of Hogwarts, he’s sleeping with Astoria,” Neville said, “I remember how much that hurt you.”

“I know,” Hermione sighed, “You know, you’re kind of my gay best friend Neville.”

“Even though I’m not gay?” Neville asked, sounding bemused.

“Exactly.”

“Right…well, that makes no sense and we’re at my quarters now so I’m going to go drink coffee and sleep off my mandrake migraine. Why don’t you go somewhere quiet and try to work out if you have feelings for Malfoy?” Neville said bluntly.

“Yeah, you really don’t have a filter right now,” Hermione mumbled, “Bye Neville.”

“Bye Hermione,” Neville said, then he shut the door in her face.


	5. The Weighing of the Wands

A week passed while Hermione tried to work out if she liked Draco Malfoy (and tried to avoid him like the plague for that same reason). Then before she knew it, it was time for the weighing of the wands. Harry woke up slightly earlier than usual that morning, he yawned as he got out of bed. He heard the shower in the bathroom and assumed that Daphne was using it. Ever since their ground-breaking conversation the week before, she had hardly been in her own quarters.

Harry felt happier than ever too, and far more like his old self. He got up, dressed and made his way down to his office. He had been sitting down for 5 minutes when Hermione walked into the room.

“Hey,” She said brightly as she dropped onto the seat across from him, “Are you remembering that the weighing of the wands is today?”

“I am,” Harry said, “But I don’t know what it has to do with me. Dumbledore wasn’t there when I was a champion.”

“Are you sure?” Hermione asked with a frown, “Traditionally the champions are pictured with their mentors for the press release.”

“Maybe he was,” Harry said with a sigh, “I don’t remember it all that well.”

“It’s at 3 today,” Hermione told him, “It was going to be in the staff room, but it’s a bit too public, so it’s in the disused classroom on the 3rd floor, the big stone one.”

“Where the Mirror of Erised used to be,” Harry murmured under his breath and Hermione nodded.

“Harry,” A familiar voice called from the open door of the bedroom. Hermione’s eyes narrowed when she heard it.

“Yeah?” Harry called up the stairs.

“Do you know where my spare work robes are?”

“She has spare clothes in your bedroom?” Hermione asked in a hiss.

Harry frowned at Hermione and called back, “In the top drawer babe! I put all of your things into it.”

“She has her own drawer now?” Hermione asked in disbelief.

Harry’s frown deepened, “She’s my girlfriend Hermione, I think she’s entitled to have a drawer at my place.”

“Since when was she your girlfriend? Because the last time we spoke, you were ending things,” Hermione said irritably.

“She came to my office last week and some home truths came out,” Harry said honestly, “I told her why I had been pushing her away and she told me that I had been stupid so…I stopped pushing her away.”

“And you think that’s okay? To have a relationship with the Head of Slytherin?” Hermione asked hotly, “Would it have been okay for Dumbledore to be shagging Snape?”

Harry looked at her in disbelief, “What is wrong with you? I’m happy, I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time and as my best friend, I thought you would be on board with that.”

Hermione sighed and got to her feet, “I’m happy that you are happy, I truly am. But I don’t think this is the way to go, sleeping with your staff…it won’t gain you respect from the other teachers or from the pupils if they were to find out. But my opinion doesn’t seem to matter to you much, it hasn’t for a while now.”

“Your opinion does matter-” Harry began to say, but Hermione had already reached the door.

“If I believed that, I might stay,” Hermione said simply, “See you at the weighing of the wands.”

Without another word, she left the office.

*******

When Harry walked into the disused classroom where the weighing of the wands would take place, Hermione shot him an unimpressed look.

“You’re late,” She said.

Harry glanced at the clock, it was 3pm on the dot, “I thought I was on time actually,” he remarked as his eyes found Susan who was standing next to her.

She gave him a nod and he nodded back. Then he made his way over to Draco and leant against the wall next to the blonde man.

“Why aren’t you glued to Grangers hip like usual?” Draco drawled.

“She’s pissed off with me,” Harry replied as Gabrielle handed over her wand to be examined.

“What did you do this time Potter?” Draco asked.

Harry rolled his eyes, he was past the whole high school grudge stage and ready to call Draco by his first name. But Draco still insisted on calling him, and Hermione, by their last names.

“She got pissed off this morning because I told her Daphne had a drawer of clothes at my place,” Harry shrugged.

“Daphne has a drawer in your quarters?” Draco asked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Harry said with a frown, “So?”

“So that’s a big deal,” Draco said as if this was obvious, “That’s commitment to a girl.”

“I know, I told Hermione that,” Harry said, “I’ve been sleeping with Daphne for 2 years, making excuses for why it couldn’t be any more than sex and I decided to stop making those excuses.”

“So she’s your girlfriend?” Draco asked.

“Yes,” Harry replied, “Is that a problem?”

“Why would it be a problem for me? I couldn’t care less who you dated. But if she got pissed when you told her, it’s obviously a problem for Granger,” Draco pointed out.

Harry’s frown deepened, “She’s never objected to anybody I’ve dated before and she seems to like Daphne well enough…”

Draco rolled his eyes, if Harry couldn’t work out the blatant truth, he wasn’t planning on telling him.

“I think it’s because Daphne works for me. She said it was unprofessional to be in a relationship with a member of staff…” Harry mused, “Something about blurring the lines, making the other teachers and pupil lose respect for me. What do you think, Draco?”

Draco raised an eyebrow at the use of his first name, “Are you asking me for advice?”

Harry turned to look at him, “Well yeah, you’re a Headmaster too. What’s your opinion?”

“My opinion is that if you’re doing it right, it shouldn’t be an issue,” Draco remarked.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked.

“I mean that if you do it right, nobody will know about it so the question of whether or not its professional is irrelevant,” Draco explained.

Harry nodded slowly, “Right, I see.”

The conversation came to a stop there as they watched the wands being weighed. Ollivander had retired after the war so his apprentice was here today and that apprentice happened to be Dean Thomas.

When it came to Lacey, Harry suddenly began to pay much more attention.

Dean frowned and ran his hand along the wand, “Holly with a core of dragon heartstring. That is a very rare and interesting combination…”

“It’s always worked fine for me,” Lacey said defensively.

Dean nodded, “This wand would be more than effective with the right user, I can believe that. It is very powerful, very powerful indeed.”

He handed the wand back to Lacey then Hermione snapped at him, “Harry. It’s time for the pictures.”

Harry glanced over at the area where the photographer was setting up and groaned when he saw a familiar woman walk into the room. She grinned and strutted over to Harry.

“Pleasure to see you again Harry,” Rita Skeeter said.

“Pleasure,” Harry muttered sarcastically as he walked over to Lacey.

“I think I’ll go in alphabetical order,” Skeeter said, she sat down in front of Gabrielle because in the order of the schools Beauxbatons came first.

She asked some basic questions and then got down to the stuff that the public would really love to hear about.

“So Miss. Delacour, do you have a boyfriend back in France?”

“No,” Gabrielle answered with her winning smile, “I’m single.”

“I’m sure you won’t be if you win the tournament,” Skeeter said.

Gabrielle chuckled, it was clear she was doing exactly what Fleur had told her to do, appeal to the public. That was exactly what the Ministry wanted, the whole point of this bloody tournament was for publicity reasons.

“How do you feel about the fact that the last champion from Beauxbatons was your sister? Do you feel a lot of pressure?”

“A little,” Gabrielle admitted, “But I see it more as a challenge to be better than she was.”

Fleur chuckled at this.

“Is it difficult, having your sister as your mentor?” Skeeter asked.

“Sometimes we argue about certain things, but most of the time it’s fun because we get on so well,” Gabrielle replied, perfect answers, perfect smile. She would be the public’s favourite.

“The last time this tournament took place you were one of the captives used in a task to taunt your sister. Is it strange coming back now as a champion?”

“It’s very different,” Gabrielle admitted, she laughed, “This time I’ll be the centre of attention instead of the poor little girl though, so I’m grateful for that.”

“Finally then,” Skeeter said, winking at Harry, “You were saved by then champion, and now Headmaster, Harry Potter, when you were a captive in the last tournament. Do you still feel grateful towards him for that?”

Gabrielle’s cheeks tinged pink and Harry was certain that Skeeter’s magic quill picked up on that, she replied, “Of course I am. He was very brave, and I’m very grateful. Since then however we’ve seen each other a lot more and more than anything I’m grateful to be able to call him a friend.”

“Thank you Miss. Delacour,” Skeeter said as she moved on to the Durmstrang champion, Agmund Erickson. She sat down across from him and her notepad magically flipped on to the next page.

“Good afternoon Mr. Erickson,” Skeeter said as she shook his hand. She asked the boring questions, and then like Gabrielle got down to the ones the public really wanted the answers too.

“So, do you have a girlfriend back home?”

“I do,’ Agmund said with a smile, “We’ve been dating for 2 years now.”

“And do you think you’ll be a magnet for the ladies in this tournament?” Skeeter asked, eying up the boy like a piece of meat. It made Harry scoff.

“I don’t know,” Agmund said slightly awkwardly.

“What do you think of the cheating that traditionally happens in the tournament?” Skeeter asked.

After a pointed look from Draco the boy answered, “Oh I know some people say it’s a traditional part of the tournament, but I think this year will be different, I think it will be very fair.”

“And do you think you can win this tournament?”

“Definitely,” Agmund said confidently, “If I play to my strengths I’ll have a good chance.”

“Do you want to share your strengths with us?” Skeeter asked, flirting with the 17 year old boy. Harry could see that Draco seemed to be just as disgusted as he was with this behaviour.

“No,” Agmund said, he smirked and looked very like Draco, “I have to keep my secrets just that, secret.”

“I understand,” Skeeter said, “Finally, what do you think of having Professor Malfoy as your mentor? Is he a good Headmaster?”

“He’s an excellent Headmaster,” Agmund said, and it sounded as if he actually meant it, “He treats all of his students equally and he’s an inspiration. I feel honoured to have him as my mentor.”

Draco smiled at the boy and then Skeeter moved on to the final champion, Lacey. Harry was hovering protectively, just like the other mentors had done for their champions.

“Good afternoon Miss. Nott,” Skeeter said, as she sat down across from her. She shook Lacey’s hand and started asking questions straight away.

“How do you feel about becoming a champion?”

“Excited,” Lacey replied, “It’s a big honour to be able to compete for Hogwarts.”

“Do you feel a lot of pressure because of what happened to Cedric Diggory in the last tournament?” Skeeter asked.

“I suppose I do a little,” Lacey answered honestly, “But this tournament is to honour Cedric Diggory so I feel like I’ve been given a very special opportunity to do that.”

“Does that mean you think you can win?”

“Of course I think I can win,” Lacey replied, “I would never have put my name in the goblet of fire if I hadn’t thought I could win.”

Harry was smiling as he watched from the side-lines, she was doing really well and he was extremely impressed.

“How do you think your brother Theodore Nott will feel about you being champion?”

“He’s really happy for me,” Lacey said with a smile, “He was excited when I wrote him the news.”

“Do you have a good relationship with him?”

“We’re great friends,” Lacey said, still smiling, “Our Mother died when I was young and our Father was fairly old so in a lot of ways, he basically raised me.”

“Do you know that you’re the first Slytherin to be chosen as champion since the 16th century?”

“I didn’t,” Lacey lied, because she had been reading up on the history of the tournament so she did know this, but like the Durmstrang champion she didn’t want to give away any of her secrets, “But that’s pretty cool.”

“Are you proud to be doing this for your house?”

“I am, but I’m more proud to be doing it for my school rather than my house,” Lacey said and Harry gave her a nod in the background to let her know that she was doing the right thing.

“Does it make you feel more confident having the previous winner as your mentor?” Skeeter asked, Harry knew it was about time for her to get onto asking questions about him, she always did.

“Not really,” Lacey replied, “It’s not like he can help me anyway because it’s against the rules.”

“Is he a good Headmaster?”

Harry narrowed his eyes at Skeeter, was she trying to ruin his reputation already?

“He’s a great Headmaster. Everyone thinks he won’t be strict because he’s young, but he is, and he really pushes us to do the best we can. I wish he’d become Headmaster before my last year of school.”

Harry grinned at Lacey, and mouthed, “Good answer”.

“One more question then,” Skeeter said, and Harry could tell from the look in her eye that she was planning something.

“Can you comment on the rumours that the Headmaster is having affairs with members of his staff?”

The only people who heard the question were Lacey, Hermione and Harry, but the reaction it caused to those three people was astounding.

“Don’t you dare make accusations like that about Harry,” Hermione said in an undertone as she stepped forward, “They are rumours, nothing more.”

“Don’t try and ruin my reputation just because we ruined yours Skeeter,” Harry said with narrowed eyes at the woman.

Lacey watched all of this going on and said, “Well I can’t comment because there is nothing to comment on.”

Skeeter looked pissed and strutted away to have a word with the photographer. Harry smiled at Lacey, “Well done, you did great. Go get ready for the pictures, I’ll be with you in a second.”

“Thanks Mione,” Harry whispered to his friend when they had a moment alone.

“Stop being such an idiot about it Harry unless you want to lose your job,” She warned him.

Harry nodded then he accompanied Lacey to where the photographer was assembling the three champions. The next picture included the mentors so Harry stood behind Lacey and smiled for the camera, he hated this, he hated the press. Next came the individual photographs, Harry and Lacey waited silently as Gabrielle’s individual and mentor photos were taken, and then as Agmund went through the process.

Finally it was Lacey’s turn and in a few minutes it was over and everyone was free to go, just as the bell rang to signify the end of classes.

“I’ll owl you nearer the first task,” Harry said to Lacey as everyone left the room, “To prepare you as much as I can.”

“Okay, thanks Professor Potter,” Lacey said as she left the room.

Harry sighed and glanced at the time, Hermione fell into step next to him, “I’m skipping dinner,” Harry informed her, “I’ll eat in my office.”

“Why?” She asked.

“I want a drink after that,” Harry admitted.

Hermione laughed out loud, “I know how you feel.”

“Come up to my office after dinner,” He said as they reached the grand staircase where they would part ways, “I’ve still got that bottle of firewhiskey Ron gave me for my birthday.”

“Okay,” Hermione said, she smiled and walked away towards the great hall. Harry began climbing the stairs back up to his office, after dealing with Rita Skeeter he always needed a stiff drink.

***

“Are you avoiding me because you don’t like boats or because you’re in love with your best friend?”

Hermione jumped and spun around, “What?”

“You heard me,” Draco said, he leant against the wall in the dungeon and surveyed her.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Hermione lied.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

Hermione sighed and caved, “Harry and I are just friends. Yes, sometimes I have wondered if we should or could be more but that is all there is to it.”

“So you’re scared of boats then?” Draco joked.

“No, you idiot, I’m not scared of boats,” Hermione said irritably, “I’m scared that for some crazy reason I might actually have feelings for the arsehole who made me feel shit about myself throughout my entire time at Hogwarts!”

“Wow Granger, I’m impressed,” Draco said, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips, “You managed to make telling me that you had feelings for me into an insult.”

“I didn’t tell you that I had feelings for you!” Hermione objected.

“You literally just told me that you did,” Draco pointed out.

“No, I didn’t,” Hermione argued.

Draco smirked at her, “Subtext Granger, subtext.”

Hermione groaned, “How do you manage to make everything sound sexy? God, it’s annoying!” she said as she spun on her heel.

Draco smirked and followed her, “So…about that tour of my boat-”

“Not interested!” Hermione said, she picked up the pace and stalked away from him.

***

_Knock, knock._

“Come in!” Harry called from his desk, he had a glass of firewhiskey next to him and he was marking some 1st year tests.

Hermione walked in and smiled at him, “Hey.”

“You never knock,” Harry said, he looked up and frowned, “I think that’s the first time you have ever knocked on my office door since I started working at Hogwarts.”

Hermione shrugged and said, “When your office was in the Defence classroom there was a separate entrance to your bedroom…”

“Oh,” Harry said, realising that she meant she was sick of walking in on him with Daphne.

Harry poured Hermione a drink and they talked about little things, like what Ron had said in his last letter, and when they thought he might be back. Hermione was very easy to get drunk, and to begin with Harry wasn’t trying to get her so, but then he realised that if she had one drink too many she might tell him about the 1st task, and then he could tip Lacey off.

He didn’t often get a night like this with Hermione where they could just have a drink, have a laugh and forget the world, and Harry hadn’t realised how much he had missed it until she got up and turned his radio on.

“Merlin you’re so boring Harry,” Hermione chuckled as she flicked through his saved channels, “Do you have anything that isn’t the news or Quidditch?”

“Yes, I do,” Harry said, standing up and leaning over her. He pressed a button on the radio and it turned to a music channel with some sort of country-rock music playing.

“Who sings this?” Hermione asked, she didn’t recognise it.

“A new band, they’re sort of like the Weird Sisters but a little less heavy,” Harry said.

He was surprised when Hermione said, “I like it…let’s dance.”

They had danced together a few times, one of those times had been at Bill and Fleur’s wedding. They had danced together a lot when they were living in the tent during the war, it had kept Hermione going with Ron gone. After that there had been the odd occasion, like the Ministry Balls that they were obliged to attend as war heroes.

Harry didn’t get tipsy, or drunk, as fast as Hermione but he let himself go a little as he danced around the office with her. He spun her and dipped her and he smiled when she threw her head back and laughed. He hadn’t seen her laugh like that for a long time.

The song changed to a slower number and by instinct Harry pulled Hermione closer and let her catch her breath from all of the fast dancing.

“That was fun,” She said breathily, “When was the last time we danced?”

“The Ministry Ball, for the millennium,” Harry replied, he smiled at her as they moved slowly around the office.

“That long? Merlin, life goes by so quickly,” Hermione said somewhat sadly.

“We’re getting older Mione,” Harry sighed, “Every year goes by faster.”

They were quiet for a moment as they both listened to the music.

“Harry, I miss you,” Hermione said as she buried her head in his shoulder, “I miss the Harry I went to school with.”

“I’m still that Harry,” Harry said to Hermione.

“No you aren’t,” Hermione said, she looked up at her friend, “You changed after Susan left, and I blame her for it…I really do,” tears shone in her eyes but Hermione, drunk or otherwise, would not let them spill, “I blame her for taking the Harry I knew away.”

“Hermione,” Harry said, he stopped dancing to look at her properly, “I might have changed a little, but I’m still the Harry you knew.”

“Sometimes,” Hermione said, she looked at Harry mournfully, “Sometimes I see flashes of that guy, but most of the time you’re just an arsehole.”

“You think I’m an arsehole?” Harry asked, he sounded hurt.

“Right now, no,” Hermione said honestly, she bit her lip, “I’m glad you’re actually dating again even if it is with someone you really shouldn’t be with. But when you’re the cocky idiot who beds every girl who comes his way without bothering how they feel, or how other people feel about it, then I think you’re an asshole.”

The hurt in Harry’s eyes would have been more noticeable to Hermione had she been sober, but she didn’t quite catch it.

“You’re my best friend Harry, but I hate who you’ve become,” Hermione said, she let her head fall onto his chest.

Harry held her tightly and frowned. His best friend, the person who had been with him through everything, thought that he was an arsehole.

“I’m sorry,” He said sincerely, “I really am Hermione.”

“Stay like this,” Hermione practically begged as she pulled away from the hug, “This is the Harry I knew, so just stay like this, even if its just for tonight.”

“I will,” Harry said, and he meant it. The song changed to an upbeat song again and Hermione drew him in to dance, it was as if the conversation they had just had was forgotten to Hermione. No matter how hard he tried however Harry couldn’t forget it.

They danced a little more and then Hermione needed to sit down, and Harry thought it was the perfect moment to ask her about the task.

“So Hermione, can you give me any hints about the 1st task yet?” Harry asked as he sat her down on his chair and leant against his desk.

“Oh!” Hermione said, the alcohol had made her bubbly and happy now, “I can tell you what it is!”

“I thought that was against the rules,” Harry teased.

“Well I break the rules sometimes. It’s the forest, with creatures, and stuff, and a mirror, and a clue, oh and centaurs!” Hermione said all of this very quickly, but it gave Harry a basis of the 1st task which was more than he had before.

The song on the radio changed then Hermione jumped up and said, “I love this song!”

Then she promptly passed out, but Harry had fast enough reflexes that he was able to catch her before she hit the ground. He shook his head in amusement as he carried her up the stairs and lay her down in his bed. He made sure she would be warm enough then turned out the lights and went back to his office to sleep on the sofa.

***

Hermione woke up and frowned, the light coming in was different from the light that shone through her window in her quarters on the third floor. She opened her eyes and sat up, her head was spinning and she felt like she might throw up. It took her a second to get her bearings but then she recognised the ornate room and swore loudly.

“Fuck!”

At this point Harry walked out of the bathroom with only a towel to cover his dignity.

“What have I done this time?” Harry asked, surveying Hermione in amusement.

“Harry…why I am in your bed?” Hermione asked slowly, a look of horror began to spread across her face.

“Do you honestly not remember any of it?” Harry asked in surprise.

Hermione’s eyes widened, “I don’t remember anything,” she said panic stricken, “What happened?”

“Well it was magical Hermione…that moment when we were dancing together and then you leaned closer towards me and-”

Hermione grimaced and held her breath.

“-oh yeah, then you passed out,” Harry said, he grinned at her and walked into the wardrobe. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“How’s the hangover by the way?” Harry asked as from the wardrobe.

“I feel like I’m going to throw up or my head is going to explode…only I’m not sure which.”’ Hermione groaned.

“Well,” Harry said, he stuck his head out of the wardrobe, “I have warned you about what happens when you get near firewhiskey.”

Hermione frowned, Harry was acting a lot more like he had before Susan had broken up with him, “Are _you _okay?”

“I’m fine,” Harry said with a frown as he walked out of the wardrobe holding blue robes and wearing only his boxers, yet again, “I wasn’t the one who drank half a bottle of firewhiskey last night. Why would you ask?”

“I don’t know, you just seem…different,” Hermione said, she frowned at her friend.

“Different? What do you mean by different?” Harry asked, cocking his head at her as he pulled on his black trousers and started to do up his usual white shirt for work.

“I don’t know, just different,” Hermione said, she shook her head, “Ouch that hurt…what do we need to do today?”

“Luckily for you, nothing,” Harry said in amusement, “You can go back to your quarters and recover.”

“Ugh,’ Hermione said at the thought of having to get up, “Can’t I just stay here?”

“Well you can if you really want,” Harry said as he threw on his robes, “But then there will be rumours about what you, Daphne and Sinistra all have in common.”

“Ugh,” Hermione said again, “I am not going to let people think I became one of your conquests.”

“Most people would be honoured to be a conquest of Harry Potter,” Harry said jokingly as he pulled on his socks and shoes and glanced at the time.

“And there comes the bastard again,” Hermione mumbled under her breath.

Harry caught it but pretended he didn’t, “What was that?”

“Nothing,” Hermione said with an innocent smile.

Harry disappeared from the room and returned a few seconds later with a potion, “Take it for the hangover and try to eat something,” he said in amusement, “And use the invisibility cloak to sneak out if you are that bothered about people thinking your shagging me,” he said through his laughter.

Hermione drank the potion and gave an instant sigh of relief as her headache began to fade, “Thanks Harry.”

“No problem,” Harry said as he glanced at the time once more, “I’m going to have to run Mione, or I’ll be late for my 4th years, spend the day in bed and I _might _see you at dinner,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek and sprinted from the office.

Hermione let herself fall back into Harry’s bed, she still felt sick, but she was getting flashes of the night before coming back to her. She remembered the dancing, it had been so long since she and Harry had danced together and it had been nice. She frowned as she realised she was lying in Harry’s bed, she wondered what things had been done in this with who and jumped up too quickly then proceeded to run to the bathroom to throw up.

*******

After going overboard on the alcohol and waking up in her best friend’s bed, Hermione couldn’t show face that day. She skipped dinner and made sure that she was gone by the time Harry came back to his office later in the day.

Harry was still amused by her behaviour, but her words had hurt him. He tried to keep himself busy over the weekend, but every time he paused for a moment those words echoed around in his head.

On Monday he had a quiet word with Lacey at the end of 7th year DADA. He cryptically, in true Dumbledore style, asked her to come to his office at 6pm that night then he spent the rest of the evening marking, and skipped dinner.

At 6pm on the dot Lacey knocked on the door and Harry called, “Come in!”

She walked in and sat down across from him. Harry made sure that the door was closed before he said, “I know what the first task is.”

Lacey’s eyes widened, “How did you find out?”

Harry frowned, “What do you mean? Do you know too?”

“Uh…” Lacey floundered, “Maybe?”

Harry narrowed his eyes at her, “How did you find out?”

“Well…you know Miss. Granger, the Head of the Department of International Cooperation?” Lacey asked.

Harry nodded slowly, “Yes, I’m very familiar with her.”

“She sort of dated my brother when they were at Hogwarts,” Lacey said, “So I asked my brother to have a chat with her and he did, and she told him roughly what the task entailed.”

“Your brother dated her at Hogwarts?” Harry asked in disbelief, “Your brother, Theodore Nott?”

Lacey frowned, “Uh yeah…I only have one brother. Why is that weird?”

“It just is,” Harry said evasively, “What did your brother tell you the task entailed?” he added, because he wanted to change the topic.

“He said it was going to be in the Forbidden Forest and that it was essentially an obstacle course, involving magical creatures,” Lacey said.

Harry nodded, “I was told the same, but centaurs were also mentioned and there was something about a mirror.”

“So basically… I’m going to have to navigate through the forest to find a mirror?” Lacey asked, frowning slightly.

“I think that’s a safe bet,” Harry said with a smile, “If I were you I would brush up on your knowledge of magical creatures and practice your four point spell.”

Lacey nodded, “I just hope I don’t need any Transfiguration knowledge.”

“Has Professor Greengrass’s coaching helped at all?”

Lacey shrugged, “A little, but I still don’t feel that confident about it.”

“Well she’s trying really hard to help, so try and get as much out of it as you can,” Harry said.

“Is Professor Greengrass your girlfriend?” Lacey asked tentatively.

Harry stiffened, “That is none of your business-”

“I know,” Lacey cut in, “And I’m sorry. I just thought…I see how you look at each other sometimes over dinner and she’s the Head of Slytherin and you were the Head of Gryffindor so I thought maybe you could give me some advice.”

Harry frowned, “I’m afraid I’m not following you.”

Lacey sighed, “The thing is sir…you know Robert Williamson?”

“The Gryffindor who you sit next to in Defence against the Dark Arts?” Harry asked cluelessly.

Lacey nodded and looked down, “His Dad is pretty strict...about him having feelings for a Slytherin…”

Harry’s eyes widened, “Oh! This is relationship stuff? Okay, don’t talk to me about that, talk to Professor Greengrass about that because I can advise on lots of things, defence, spells, you name it but definitely not relationships.”

Lacey blushed deeply, “Okay, thanks sir,” she said before hurrying out of the room.

As she left Hermione walked in, frowning at the girl scurrying away.

“What was that about?” Hermione asked as she sat down in the seat Lacey had just vacated.

“She just asked me for relationship advice,” Harry said, still in disbelief at the whole thing.

“She did?” Hermione asked with a chuckle, “What did you say?”

“I told her to go and talk to Daphne,” Harry chuckled, “She acts like an ice cold bitch, but she cares about her Slytherin girls a lot. I imagine she will give some good advice…It turns out Lacey likes a Gryffindor and thinks he doesn’t like her because she’s a Slytherin.”

“Well you should have been able to give advice on that, with you dating the Head of Slytherin and all,” Hermione pointed out.

“It’s different when you grow up though, isn’t it? Especially when you see what we have seen, war and death…school house just seems insignificant.”

“True,” Hermione agreed, “I would never let someone’s school house scare me off.”

Harry shook his head, “No, neither would I. Mind you, I didn’t think that you could date a Slytherin anyway, you being as goody goody as you are. They tend to like to walk on the wild side a little, I kind of like that Daphne has taught me that it’s okay to operate in shades of grey.”

“The world isn’t black and white, that’s true, but not all Slytherins walk on the wild side either,” Hermione pointed out, “Look at Draco, in a lot of respects he would have done just as well in Ravenclaw as he would in Slytherin.”

“And what about Theodore Nott?” Harry asked curiously.

Hermione frowned, “What about him?”

“Well you dated him in high school, you told him about the first task for Lacey,” Harry said calmly, “What kind of guy is he? The type you keep to yourself and don’t even tell your best friend about?”

“Oh that is low, and pathetic,” Hermione said irritably, “Have you told me about all of your flings? I doubt it.”

“I’ve told you about all of my relationships,” Harry pointed out.

“You are my best friend Harry, but you don’t need to know everything about my life. I did date Theo and I would maybe even go as far as saying that he was my first love. I didn’t tell you because I enjoyed the safe little bubble that Theo and I were in during our time at Hogwarts. You and Ron weren’t there to judge and none of his fellow Slytherins were there to tell Theo he couldn’t date a Mudblood. I was happy, and then that happiness was shattered when Theo and I realised very quickly that it wouldn’t work in the outside world.”

“Why didn’t you give it a shot?”

“Well, he jumped into bed with Astoria Greengrass before we could really give it a chance,” Hermione said shortly, “And I don’t really want to talk about it anymore, okay?”

“Okay, I’m sorry I brought it up,” Harry said honestly, “And I’ve met Theo, he’s a nice guy. I could have handled that, but as much as I joke about you having a thing with Malfoy or something…that would be too much.”

Hermione hid the slight blush on her cheeks and declined to comment.

“Lacey thought Daphne was my girlfriend,” Harry told Hermione in surprise, “I guess we need to get better at hiding it.”

“I guess you do,” Hermione agreed.

“It did get me wondering how compatible Slytherins and Gryffindors are…” Harry mused.

“They aren’t exactly that incompatible,” Hermione said, raising her eyebrows at Harry, “I dated one for two years, remember?”

Harry frowned then realisation dawned, “Oh yeah, I always forgot Sorenson was a Slytherin because he was older than us…”

“You forgot he was a Slytherin? Harry, he was your Auror partner…” Hermione pointed out.

“Yeah…I haven’t spoken to him lately, I feel kind of bad about that,” Harry said with a frown, “Maybe I should. Have you spoken to him recently?”

Hermione shook her head, “Not in a year or so.”

“I haven’t spoken to many of the guys since the accident to be honest,” Harry admitted, “Waking up with them all crowded around my bed then getting the shitty news…it was embarrassing, you know?”

“I get it,” Hermione promised, “I stayed in touch with him for a while but every time we met up there was this pull and we’d end up sleeping together. It was just getting self-destructive so we stopped seeing each other all together.”

“You really loved him, didn’t you?” Harry asked.

Hermione nodded thoughtfully, “He was everything I wanted in a guy. He was intelligent, he was witty, he was funny…I liked his sarcasm and that stupid boyish smirk of his and…”

Realisation dawned on Hermione as she talked. Her ex, Sorenson Cauldwell, had been tall, muscular and blonde. He had been a Slytherin, a sarcastic, smirking Slytherin with a dark, witty sense of humour.

_SHIT. Of course I like Draco, he reminds me of Sorenson. Or did Sorenson remind me of him? Oh for the love of Merlin, SHIT._

“Hermione, are you daydreaming about your ex?”

Hermione blushed deeply and pulled herself out of her own mind, “Yeah, sorry. Anyway, back to business. We need to have some tournament chat.”

And without question, they got down to business.


	6. Making Amends

When Hermione left his office Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak and snuck out of the castle. Earlier that day he had asked Fleur and Draco to meet him at midnight on the edge of the forbidden forest. So he snuck down through the empty castle passing only one student, he smirked, it was Lacey.

“What are you doing out of bounds Miss. Nott?” Harry asked in the low, harsh voice of the bloody baron.

“Oh, is that you baron?” Lacey asked in a whisper.

“Yes,” Harry replied in the same voice.

“I’m on my way to the kitchen,” Lacey whispered, “I need a snack to help me study for this tournament.”

Harry shook his head in amusement, “Do it and return to your dormitory at once,” he said and he began to tiptoe away.

“Hang on a minute!” Lacey called as she jogged after him, “Only one person tells me to go back to my dormitory when he catches me sneaking around, and that’s the Headmaster!”

Busted!

Harry pulled the hood of the cloak down and Lacey jumped.

“Whoa! That’s the Headmasters head…but where is the rest of his…holy hippogriff! You have an invisibility cloak! That’s awesome sir! Where did you get it?”

“Family heirloom,” Harry replied.

“Aren’t you setting a bad example for students by sneaking around invisible at midnight?” Lacey asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, because I’m sneaking around to find information for the first task which is beneficial to Hogwarts because if we win it helps our reputation. Therefore I am sneaking for the sake of the school,” Harry said with a stern look at her, “Now pretend that you didn’t see me and go get your snack.”

“Yes sir,” Lacey replied.

Harry put the hood up and before he walked away asked, “What’s your go to study snack, by the way?”

“Banana and nutella on toast,” Lacey replied as she slipped behind a tapestry and out of sight.

Harry muttered under his breath as he walked through the school, “She might be bright but that girl is an odd one.”

“Harry,” A disembodied voice said from behind him.

Harry jumped and turned around, he could just make out the whites of Neville’s eyes against a wall, “Neville!”

“Harry, why are you still using the invisibility cloak when you are a perfectly competent wizard who could use a disillusionment charm? It’s far more convenient,” Neville pointed out.

“I like my invisibility cloak,” Harry whined, a little childishly.

Neville snorted, “She has a point you know. You shouldn’t be sneaking around at midnight, you _are _setting a bad example for your students.”

“Says the guy who is disillusioned at midnight? I’m off to tell Draco and Fleur what the first task is because I sort of got Hermione drunk and coerced it out of her,” Harry said sheepishly, “What’s your excuse?”

“I was tending to an ill venomous tentacula and it just died, so I was sneaking to the kitchen for comfort food,” Neville admitted.

“You need comfort food because a plant died?”

“I’ve looked after Audrey since she was a bulb, Harry!”

“Right,” Harry said, “Well I’m off to do important Headmaster stuff. Sorry for your loss Neville, send my condolences to Audrey’s creepy like venomous tentacula babies.”

“There’s just the one actually, I took a cutting last week,” Neville said sadly, “I think I’ll call her Audrey II.”

“Okay, see you later Neville,” Harry said, and he scarpered away towards the great hall. He got through the school with no other interruptions and left through the slightly ajar front doors. He walked across the freezing cold grounds and took the invisibility cloak off and stored it inside his ordinary cloak. He continued walking across the grounds and eventually reached two shadowy figures on the edge of the forest.

“Why did you want to meet all the way out here?” Fleur asked, she was wearing a heavy cloak but was still shivering.

“And at this time of night?” Draco asked with a glare.

“Don’t glare at me,” Harry said testily, “I’m here to help you out. I know what the first task is.”

“How did you find out?” Draco asked with narrowed eyes.

“I have my ways and means,” Harry said with a twinkle in his eyes.

“You got Granger drunk, didn’t you?” Draco asked knowingly.

“Yeah,” Harry admitted sheepishly, “I did. But I know what the first task is so morally, I don’t feel too bad about getting her drunk and coercing it out of her.”

“So what is the task?” Fleur asked anxiously.

“I don’t know the specifics, but it’s in the forest and it involves creatures, the only ones I know for certain it will involve are centaurs,” Harry said, “I also heard something about a mirror so I think there might be a mirror that they need to find in the forest.”

“So it’s a maze of sorts that the champions must battle through?” Fleur asked.

“I think so,” Harry replied.

“Well,” Draco said thoughtfully, “At least it’s not bloody dragons.”

“You can’t talk Malfoy, you didn’t have to fight them,” Harry said, getting an appreciative nod from Fleur who also glared at Draco.

“I’ve told my champion, I think it’s only fair if you tell yours,” Harry said to them, “Nobody can say we’re cheating because we’re doing this to keep it fair.”

“Why bother telling us at all? You could have had an advantage if your champion was the only one who knew about the task,” Draco said with a frown.

“Well maybe it’s because we’ve actually been through it before, or maybe it’s just because we’re better people than you, but Fleur and I would both tell each other if we knew anything. It’s what people do in this tournament Malfoy, because it gives the champions a fair chance of going in, surviving and coming out with non-lethal injuries,” Harry said, his calm air broke at times and he went back to the school boy who couldn’t be bothered with Draco and his selfish ways.

“You know I would have done the same for you Harry,” Fleur said as she hugged him, “Thank you, I will tell Gabrielle tomorrow.”

Harry nodded and Fleur left to get back to the Beauxbatons carriage. Draco was silent for a moment then said, “I understand, perhaps you just understand the concept of camaraderie more than I do, I’ve never been on the right side.”

Harry felt sorry for Draco for a moment, “Well there aren’t sides here Draco, it may be a completion but all we want is for everyone to come out of it alive and with no life changing injuries.”

Draco nodded, “Thank you for the tip off, Harry.”

Harry gave a short nod back and then they went their separate ways, Harry towards the castle, and Draco towards the ship.

***

“Where have you been at this godforsaken hour?”

Harry jumped, “Daphne! You scared me!”

“I let myself in, I figured you would be in bed but you weren’t,” Daphne said from where she lay in what was becoming more like their bed. She spent almost every night here now and as it stood, they were dating.

“I was telling Fleur and Draco about the first task,” Harry admitted, “I figured it was the right thing to do so that we all knew the same thing. It makes the task fair that way, if Lacey wins, she does it fair and square.”

“Very Gryffindor of you,” Daphne commented.

“Funny that,” Harry joked.

“Draco wouldn’t have done it,” Daphne pointed out.

“Well I’m not Draco Malfoy,” Harry said as he slipped into bed with her, “I feel bad enough for getting Hermione drunk to find out what the task was…and it was all for nothing anyway because Lacey already knew.”

“How did she know?” Daphne asked.

“Because, and I did not know this, Hermione dated Theodore Nott when they came back to school to finish their N.E.W.T’s so Lacey asked Theo to talk to Hermione and she told him what the task was,” Harry replied.

“Wow, Hermione Granger and Theodore Nott,” Daphne mused, “Now I thought I had been misreading the signs between her and Draco but obviously not. Maybe she has a thing for Slytherins.”

Harry frowned, “She did date Sorenson Cauldwell for a couple of years but I mean…Draco Malfoy…no…she hates him.”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “Wow, you really are clueless at times.”

“Come on, what are you seeing that I’m not?” Harry asked in disbelief.

“Uh how about eye sex across the great hall? Draco tracking her down in the grounds for little chats? You haven’t noticed any of that?” Daphne asked in amusement.

“No…”

Daphne shook her head in amusement, “Face it Harry, your best friend wants your old arch-enemy.”

Harry’s frown deepened at those words, but he said nothing more about the matter.

***

The thought of Hermione having feelings for Draco irrationally bothered Harry but he put his mask on and pretended that it didn’t. He found that he didn’t sleep much the following night, he was too busy lying in bed wondering when he became the kind of guy who was happy to settle down with a scheming former Slytherin girl and when Hermione became the kind of girl to go for a typical ‘bad boy’.

He sighed and got out of bed, he pulled on a dressing gown and dragged himself down the stairs and out of the Headmasters tower. He found it lonely up there, but he didn’t know why, he had spent the rest of his time sleeping in the Defence against the Dark Arts tower. The Headmasters tower just seemed so much more isolated though, Harry wasn’t sure if it was because the entrance to it was on the 7th floor or if it was all in his head, but he had spent more and more time wandering the castle and less time sleeping since he had moved into it.

He supposed part of it was because of the stress of being Headmaster, rather than living in the tower. It was hard, being in the shadow of Dumbledore and McGonagall, the portraits on the wall hadn’t spoken to him yet. McGonagall said they wouldn’t until he earned their respect, he had caught Dumbledore crack open an eye every so often, but apart from that they were either silent or snoring.

Harry wasn’t even paying attention to where he was going, he knew his way around Hogwarts so well that he could probably navigate it in his sleep. He ended up in a long sloping stairwell behind a tapestry. He knew this passage well, he had used it to bolt away from Filch, it was a fast way to the Gryffindor common room, he sighed, he missed those days, he missed the person he had been back then.

As Harry came out of the tapestry he ambled along the 1st floor and paused when he saw a light in McGonagall’s office. The door was slightly ajar so Harry knocked and was greeted with a tired, “Come in.”

Harry pushed the door open and entered then pushed it shut again behind him, McGonagall was working by candlelight at her desk wearing the tartan dressing gown that Harry knew well.

“Professor, can I have a word?”

“Harry, I think it’s a little inappropriate for you to call me Professor,” McGonagall said with a tired smile, “As you are in fact the Headmaster which makes you my superior.”

“You’ll always be Professor McGonagall,” Harry said with a slight smile, “No matter long I’m Headmaster, and as far as I’m concerned you will always be my superior.”

He meant what he said, Harry had always had a lot of respect for McGonagall.

“As touching as that is Harry, why in the blazes are you wandering the corridors at 2am in the morning?” McGonagall asked.

Harry sighed and leant against the wall, “I can’t sleep,” he admitted, “I keep lying awake wondering why the hell you chose someone as irresponsible as me to become Headmaster.”

“You may not have much faith in yourself Harry, but you are the man who defeated Voldemort, and the hero who saved us all in the war. I think that you have it in you to run a school,” McGonagall said gently.

“But I’m not,” Harry said, he wasn’t even angry, just defeated, “I’m not that person. The boy who defeated Voldemort, the hero…he’s gone, he has been for 2 years now,” he then smirked slightly, “And that was a nice press release Professor, but we’re not involved in politics, so what was the real reason?”

“That,” McGonagall said, pointing at Harry, “Is why I made you Headmaster. You see things other people wouldn’t, you understand people, you know how they work and that is what makes a good Headmaster. Running a school involves much more politics than you would think.”

Harry gave a feeble nod, and McGonagall continued, “I know you will make a good Headmaster, look at how much the grades have risen in Defence against the Dark Arts since you arrived, and more than that you make the effort to know your students. You know them by name, you know their nature. You didn’t have to know Lacey, but you made the effort and because of that she stands in good stead in this tournament. You might not see it, and others around you might not see it, but you’re a good man Harry, and every day you take a step closer to becoming as great a Headmaster as Albus was.”

At her words Harry felt tears well in his eyes, he tried to push them back, but he wasn’t sure he managed, “I appreciate that Professor, but I can’t see it myself at the moment,” he sighed, wiping the tears angrily, “All I can see is what I’ve become and no way back.”

“The first thing to do, Mr. Potter, is stop sleeping with members of your staff,” McGonagall said, she was back to the stern women he had known as a student.

“You know about that?” He asked, swallowing hard.

“I think the entire school knows,” McGonagall said gently, and Harry was sure a smirk was tugging on the corners of her lips.

“I’ve realised how much I was hurting people Professor, you don’t have to lecture me about that,” Harry said miserably as he sat down in a chair across from her desk, “But Daphne and I are giving it a real shot. It has been two years after all and there have always been feelings involved.”

McGonagall smiled, “I hope that she brings some real happiness into your life Harry. You deserve to be happy again.”

Harry nodded thoughtfully, “I just wish everyone would stop comparing me to Dumbledore. I could never measure up to who he was…”

“It’s worth remembering Harry, given Albus’s age at his time of death, how many people remember his first days as Headmaster. He didn’t get it right immediately, it took years for him to become the Headmaster you knew during your time as a student at Hogwarts,” McGonagall said, and the comment was the first that actually made the weight on his shoulders feel a little bit lighter.

“I’m sorry to add to your burden Harry,” McGonagall said sadly, “But I am afraid I must tell you that the reason I appointed you as Headmaster this year was to give you a chance to settle before I retire.”

“You’re retiring?” Harry asked, this news shocked him, he couldn’t imagine Hogwarts without McGonagall.

McGonagall gave a sharp nod, “I have found it hard to be here since Albus died,” she admitted, “To me, Hogwarts is not the same without him. My generation is gone, Alastair, Albus…I find myself, as my predecessor would have said, wishing to move on to the next great adventure.”

A look of horror spread across Harry’s face at this, “Are you dying Professor?”

“No, of course not,” McGonagall replied, “I just want to move on to a quieter stage of life.”

Harry gave a small nod, not really sure what to say because the news that she was leaving had shocked him so much.

“Finding a new Professor is difficult,” McGonagall informed him, “So I suggest you should start looking for a replacement after Christmas break.”

Harry nodded once more, “I will. Hogwarts won’t be the same without you.”

“Speaking of the next great adventure, I believe it is time for bed,” McGonagall said, stifling a yawn.

Harry nodded and got to his feet, “Of course, thank you Professor.”

“Help is always given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it Mr. Potter,” McGonagall said with a smile as Harry left the office.

*******

Following his enlightening conversation with McGonagall, Harry had the best night’s sleep he had gotten in a while. When he awoke the next morning he felt much brighter, like a lot things were clearer in his head.

To Daphne’s amusement, he whistled that morning as he got dressed in his most vibrant lime green robes. He even whistled on his way down to the great hall and greeted every student he passed by name. When he walked into the hall and sat down he smiled at Hermione who was sitting next to him as always for breakfast, Draco ate in his boat a lot of the time.

“Good morning,” Harry said happily as he smiled at Hermione.

She was taken aback by the change in him at first, “Morning,” she said.

“What are you doing for lunch today?” Harry asked Hermione who replied with a frown, “Uh…nothing.”

“Do you want to eat in my office?” Harry asked, “I feel like we can never really talk here without being overheard by someone.”

“Sure,” Hermione said as she surveyed Harry, he seemed to be acting increasingly like the Harry she had known as the days went on. As much as she didn’t want to, she supposed she had to give Daphne a lot of credit for that.

Harry then went back to his food, whistling as he poured himself some pumpkin juice and Hermione frowned as she tried to work out what the hell was going on.

***

“So what does Hermione think about your whole, impending doom paralysis thing?” Daphne asked, she was standing in the doorway of his classroom, they had met up in-between lessons.

“I wouldn’t know,” Harry replied, he threw something at a wardrobe in the corner of the room.

“What do you mean? And what _are _you doing?”

“Trying to coax the boggart out, I think it’s hibernating or something,” Harry said.

“Are you sure it isn’t dead?”

Harry looked up in surprise, “Boggarts can die?”

Daphne smiled slightly, “Well a boggart is a magical creature with a lifespan like any other so yes Harry, they can die.”

“Oh bugger,” Harry muttered, “And as for why I wouldn’t know, I never told Hermione the truth. Well, not the whole truth anyway. You were the first person I told since…well since Susan walked out on me when I told her. Where can I find a new boggart by the way?”

Daphne’s eyes widened, “Uh, ask Filch and seriously, you told me before you even told Hermione? Wow…”

“Why is that such a surprise?” Harry asked with a smile, “You’re my girlfriend, Hermione is my best friend.”

“But I’m also the girl you slept with on and off for two years, Granger is the girl who you respect,” Daphne pointed out.

Harry looked up in surprise, “Daphne, I respect you. I have so much respect for you, you are a brilliant Head of house, a fantastic teacher and a very intelligent, funny person. You also happen to be sexy as hell however which I may or may not comment on more than your other values.”

“May?” Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well do,” Harry corrected sheepishly, “But I have never just thought of you as sexy and I have certainly always respected you.”

Daphne didn’t say anything, she just smiled at him.

“What?” Harry asked.

“Nothing,” Daphne said with a soft smile, “You just keep surprising me lately.”

***

“Have you noticed that Harry is acting different recently?” Hermione asked Neville as she stood with him in greenhouse number 2. She found it very boring, being stuck at Hogwarts and only having paperwork to do so she had started helping out in classes.

The 2nd year class in the greenhouse were all wearing earmuffs and having a hard time trying to deal with mandrakes. Neville and Hermione were standing in a small office with glass walls watching them.

“Yeah, I have noticed it over the last few days,” Neville said as he chewed on a plant absentmindedly, “Want one? Tastes like vanilla.”

“Sure,” Hermione said taking the stalk from him, “I love vanilla,” she said as she too absentmindedly chewed on the plant.

“He’s acting more like he did before Susan broke up with him,” Hermione said thoughtfully.

“Maybe seeing her again made him realise he really was over her,” Neville suggested.

“I suppose it could be that, but I don’t think so,” Hermione said, frowning, ‘I hate to admit it but I think it’s dating Daphne that’s done it.”

“He’s dating Daphne?” Neville asked in surprise.

Hermione inwardly cursed, “I…yes. I’m sorry Neville, I didn’t realise he hadn’t told you that.”

“It’s fine,” Neville said a little irritably, “He finally starts acting like a decent human being again and it’s because he’s dating the girl I like. But I’m Neville Longbottom, why the hell should that come as a surprise to me?”

Hermione bit her lip, “Neville, it’s not like that. Harry is so clueless, you know he had no idea that you liked Daphne.”

“It’s not about that Hermione, it’s about the fact I’m never somebody’s first choice, just their back-up plan.”

Before Hermione could say anything more on the subject, one of the kids in the greenhouse shouted, “Professor Longbottom! Scott Roberts has fainted!”

Neville laughed, despite his bad mood.

Hermione smiled slightly, “Your prodigy?” she teased as he put on earmuffs and went into the classroom to rescue his passed out pupil.

***

At lunchtime Hermione made her way up to Harry’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in!” Harry called and she did. When she walked in she was surprised to see a large tray of food on the desk.

“Remember Hermione,” Harry said when he saw her face, “When I do lunch I do it right.”

Hermione laughed, he was referring to a time when he had shown up in Hermione’s office for lunch and she had forgotten that he was coming, so they had ended up eating crackers and grapes. The following week Harry had put on a full spread and teased her about how his lunch was better than hers. It was sort of a running joke.

She sat down across from him and grabbed a sandwich, “You’ve changed,” she said with a smile.

“Have I?” Harry asked, smiling back somewhat cryptically, “In what way?”

“You seem more like the Harry Potter I like,” Hermione said with a warm smile.

“I assume this means you aren’t complaining?” Harry asked as he threw her a grape.

She chuckled at the inside joke and said, “I’m not complaining at all. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve been here all along,” Harry said, “I’ve just been hiding a little.”

“Well, I’m glad you aren’t anymore,” Hermione said and then she told Harry about the fainting kid in Herbology and how he was clearly Neville’s prodigy, they laughed and ate grapes together and in that half an hour they were Harry and Hermione, the two best friends who were fresh out of the war and still on a high from it.

“So what brought on this change?” Hermione asked, she was too curious to not ask any questions about it, “Daphne I expect?”

“Daphne,” Harry said with a nod, “She makes me happy, happier than I’ve been in a long time, but McGonagall opened my eyes a little too. I ended up talking to her at 2am last night, and she put a lot of things in perspective for me.”

“Yeah? What sort of things?” Hermione asked, throwing a grape at Harry who caught it deftly and popped it in his mouth, “She basically told me that I have the potential to be as good as Dumbledore but I have to believe in myself, and be responsible for the school,” he said thoughtfully.

Hermione nodded, “Sounds like good advice.”

“So I’m going to start trying to become the Headmaster that Hogwarts deserves,” Harry said, “My head is clearer now.”

“Good,” Hermione said, “And I’m sorry to break the perfect illusion, but you really ought to have a word with Neville. I hadn’t realised that you hadn’t told him about your relationship with Daphne so I sort of let that cat out of the bag earlier.”

“I was doing what Malfoy said and staying quiet about it,” Harry said, “That was why I didn’t tell Neville.”

“Why are you taking his advice?” Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow, “Is he an expert on inter-work relations?”

“No…but he’s also a Headmaster so…” Harry trailed off.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Well Neville is your best friend and also your Assistant Head so in my eyes, he is one of the trusted few who _should _know. Either way, he’s kind of upset because he’s had a thing for Daphne for ages.”

Harry’s eyes widened, “Has he? I never knew that…do you think Daphne knew that?”

“I have no idea,” Hermione said, “I thought it was fairly obvious but I also know how clueless you are so…”

“Yeah,” Harry said sheepishly, “I’m sorry. I will have a word with him later about that…I don’t want something like this to fester. He is one of my best friends after all.”

“Good idea,” Hermione said as she got to her feet. She smiled and said she had to get going because she was helping McGonagall out with 5th year Transfiguration. They laughed and talked as they walked together down the grand staircase and Harry felt lighter and happier than he had felt in a long time.

***

_Knock. Knock._

“Come in!”

Harry stepped into Neville’s office and smiled weakly at him.

“Headmaster,” Neville said professionally, “What can I do for you?”

“I’m here as a friend Nev, a shit one, but a friend all the same,” Harry said, he stepped into the office and shut the door behind him.

Neville raised an eyebrow at him, “Go on?”

“It came to my attention today that I have been a bit of an insensitive prick,” Harry said.

“And this came as a surprise because?”

Harry sighed, “Seriously Neville, I had no idea that you had feelings for Daphne. Me bragging about spending the summers in her villa in Greece must have made you feel like shit, why didn’t you tell me?”

“What was the point?” Neville asked, “She wanted you, she never wanted me.”

“If I had known, I would have shown a bit of tact,” Harry pointed out.

Neville snorted, “You have met yourself, haven’t you? Look, there are no hard feelings as long as you’re doing this for the right reasons.”

“Doing what?”

“Dating her,” Neville said, “She better not be some late rebound after Susan or some attempt to clean up your life.”

“She isn’t,” Harry promised his friend, “I…look, I don’t know if this will make you feel any better or worse about the whole thing. But I told her I loved her last night and I have only ever told one person that I loved them.”

Neville looked up in surprise, “Really?”

Harry nodded, “I’m over Susan, I really am. Having her here has made me see that and having Hermione here…she’s called me out on my bullshit Neville. That was always what Hermione did for me, slapped me and told me to grow up when I was pitying myself or hit me with the cold hard truth when I needed it. My head is a lot clearer now and I want to be the Headmaster that this school deserves.”

Neville smiled, “Good, I was wondering how long it would take you for to have that revelation and as much as it sucks that Daphne fell for you, I’m happy that she helped you find yourself again.”

“Thanks Nev and I’m sorry that you had to find out through Hermione.”

“Consider it forgotten about Harry,” Neville promised.


	7. New Beginnings

A week later, Harry was still on a slight high. He had been spending an increasing amount of time with Daphne, Hermione or Neville, and they all seemed amazed, yet pleased, at his new attitude. It made him feel good, like he was on track to being the man he was before.

He had cast his mind back to try and work out where his life had gone wrong. It had all started to go south after the war. He had gone back to Ginny, but that relationship went sour when Ginny returned to school for her 7th year and Harry went through the fast-track course to become an Auror. They didn’t have much time to meet up, and Harry had changed more than Ginny had. She seemed immature to him, he had been prematurely aged by the war. His mood had started to decline but Auror training and Hermione had kept him going. Then he graduated, became Auror partners and good friends with Sorenson Cauldwell, and things started to look up for him again.

It hadn’t lasted for very long. The thrill of chasing down bad guys gave him a real adrenaline buzz and he felt like he could spend his entire life doing it. Then there had been the attack and the accident…the only good thing that had come out of that was Susan. He had been crippled badly, but he had found Susan through it and although it had ended his career, she made him believe that somehow it would all work out.

She had been right, McGonagall had offered him the Defence job at Hogwarts and Susan had convinced him to take the job when he wasn’t sure that he would be good at it. He had fallen in love with the job pretty much instantly, and he had fallen in love with Susan even harder. After she left, nothing felt the same. His love of the job, of everything, diminished so he had started sleeping around to fill the void.

There was a knock on his office door that pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Come in,” Harry called, wondering if he should start using a pensieve. Dumbledore’s old one was still in this office.

Hermione walked through the door and sat down in her usual seat across from Harry, “Hey,” she said with a sigh.

“What’s up?” Harry asked immediately.

“I’m stressed,” Hermione admitted.

“What do you have to be stressed about?” Harry asked with a frown.

“The first task is in 3 days,” Hermione said heavily, she leaned back in her chair.

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry said, “It will go without a hitch.”

“I hope so,” Hermione said, she was chewing her lip again, a sign she was nervous.

“Do you want to help me out with my centaur class for the 5th years tomorrow?” Harry asked with a smile, “It might help you take your mind off things.”

“I can’t,” Hermione replied, rubbing her eyes sleepily, “That’s actually what I’m here to tell you. I need to leave, you won’t see me again until the 1st task.”

“Why?” Harry asked quickly, his first instinct was to worry.

“Susan and I have to oversee the preparations for the first task, you won’t see me again until the morning of it,” Hermione said.

“Oh,” Harry said, “Okay.”

“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked with a frown.

Harry shrugged, “I suppose I’ve just gotten used to having you around all the time, it will be strange…Hogwarts without you.”

Hermione smiled, “That’s sweet Harry, but I’ll be back again on Saturday,” she said as she got to her feet, “And you have Daphne to keep you company until then.”

“True,” Harry agreed as he got to his feet and hugged her, “Be careful with the planning of the task. Don’t get…you know, hurt, or anything.”

Hermione was still smiling, Harry hadn’t acted like this since the war, “I’ll be careful,” she promised as he walked her to the door.

“See you soon.”

“See you soon,” Harry echoed as he closed the wooden door behind Hermione.

***

“Leaving so soon Granger?”

Hermione paused by the walkway of his boat, “Some of us actually have to work during this tournament Malfoy.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at her, “Are you sure I can’t tempt you in for a little night cap? You look exhausted, it would help you sleep when you got home.”

Hermione had been turning him down until now, but she wasn’t actually sure why because he did actually kind of like him. The thought of even trying to have a relationship with him terrified her though, but she wanted to be happy and once upon a time she had thought that Harry would make her happy. Now that he was thriving with Daphne though…what could it hurt, really?

“Fine,” Hermione found herself saying.

Draco grinned, “Come on up for the tour.”

Somehow it managed to sound like an innuendo but Hermione boarded his ship anyway.

“Wow, you really went overboard with the redecoration,” Hermione said when she looked around the ship, “Wasn’t it gold and red before?”

Draco shot her a knowing look, “Someone snuck aboard the ship to meet with Viktor Krum.”

Hermione smirked at him, “What is it to you if I did?”

Draco grinned, “Ah, not so much of a good girl after all then, are we?”

“Now now Malfoy, hasn’t anyone ever told you? Good girls are just bad girls that haven’t been caught,” Hermione said smoothly.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her, “Is that so? Interesting…”

“Now, are you going to show me around this garish shrine to Salazar Slytherin or not?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

***

Harry had no idea why it had been so difficult to go back to not seeing Hermione day in, day out. His happiness wasn’t affected at all, Daphne kept him busy, but he found himself missing his best friend more than he had in a while.

The school began to come to life as they neared the 1st task. There were people betting and talking about it all over the place. By the time it came to last period on Friday, Harry knew that there was no point attempting to teach the class anything. His last class of the week was his 7th year class which was mixed due to it being a N.E.W.T class rather than separated into Gryffindor-Slytherin and Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff as his 1st to 5th year classes were.

The class were rowdy and excited because Lacey was in it and the 1st task was in less than 24 hours. Harry watched with vague amusement as they filed into the classroom and took their seats, not bothering to stop talking as they did so.

He shook his head in amusement and shouted, “Quiet down!”

The class instantly fell silent, Harry walked forward and sat on his desk, “Am I right in saying that with the 1st task tomorrow and Hogwarts’s champion in this class, nobody is going to listen to anything I say?”

“I’ll listen, I want to survive tomorrow!” Lacey piped up.

Harry laughed, “What about the rest of you?”

There was an echo of, “Nah” and much head shaking.

“That’s what I thought,” Harry said in amusement, “Alright then! Lacey, come on up here.”

Harry gestured for Lacey to stand next to him at the front of the class. She did, looking only slightly confused.

“Okay, does anyone want to help train up our champion for tomorrow?” Harry asked, he laughed as the class cheered and shouted.

“Today’s class is a duelling competition,” Harry said, “But not the kind we do in duelling club. Everyone in turn will duel Lacey, to help her practice her spell-casting.”

“What do we get if we beat her?” A Hufflepuff boy shouted out.

“If you beat her Mr. Johnson, which I doubt many of you will, then you’ll get a chocolate frog,” Harry said, and there were some nods.

“Seems fair,” Johnson said and Harry shook his head in amusement. He set up a duelling podium in the centre of the classroom and called up students in alphabetical order to duel Lacey. As this was an N.E.W.T class there were only 20 people in it, as opposed to the 30-35 in the lower years.

Lacey took out the first 4 very quickly, but she handled the whole thing well. Harry was observing her, noting her strengths and ways in which her duelling could improve. She had some risky tactics, she barely used shield charms and instead tended to jump, swerve and dodge to avoid being hit.

Things were going perfectly well until Harry called out the name of the only student who hadn’t yet duelled Lacey. She had been defeated twice, by a Gryffindor and one of her fellow Slytherins who had both received chocolate frogs as promised. Harry thought 16 victories out of 18 duels was pretty good going.

‘Right, Williamson, see if you can take her down,’ Harry said from where he was snacking on Bertie Bott’s beans and occasionally throwing some out to the rest of the class who were watching the duelling and talking amongst themselves.

Williamson looked a little awkward, “Sir, do you not think it’s a bit unfair? She’s probably tired after 18 duels. If I’m going to beat her I’d rather I did it when she was ready.”

“So you think you can beat me?” Lacey asked from the podium, she raised an eyebrow at him.

Williamson smirked, “It’s not a question of if I’ll beat you, it’s more a question of how quick it will be over.”

“Stop talking yourself up then and get up here,” Lacey said, challenging the Gryffindor.

Harry was watching the exchange in amusement, if Lacey was trying to pretend she didn’t like this Williamson boy then she was failing miserably, even _he _could see the two of them were fond of each other.

“Alright then, you’re on,” Williamson said and he made his way up onto the podium.

“Don’t worry Williamson, I’ll go easy on you,” Lacey said with a Slytherin smirk and that one line made Harry flashback to his own school days.

_“Go on Hermione, beat him!” Ron was saying, nudging Hermione up onto the podium in the middle of the room of requirement._

_“You can try,” Harry said with a grin from the other end, “Nobody else has managed it.”_

_Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, smiling slightly, “Is that a challenge?”_

_“Yes,” Harry said, still grinning proudly._

_“Don’t worry Potter,” Hermione had teased, “I’ll take it easy on you.”_

Harry was smiling at the memory, Hermione was the only person who had come close to beating him in a duel when they had been in the DA together in 5th year.

He turned his attention back to the duel, Williamson was good at Defence against the Dark Arts, almost as good as Lacey, but not quite. Harry had wondered about him as a champion, but he doubted he would be picked because he was very similar to Harry in the sense that he was strong in Defence but average in every other class.

The duel was fast paced and everyone was watching silently with their mouths hanging open. After about 10 minutes Lacey managed to bring Williamson down with a bat bogey hex, Harry grinned and was reminded of Ginny.

“Good effort Williamson,” Harry said from the side-lines.

Williamson and Lacey shook hands and he said, “You deserve to be champion.”

Lacey grinned, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink, “Thanks,” she said as together they jumped down from the podium.

“I’ll be cheering for you tomorrow,” Williamson said.

“I think this tournament must be the only time that Slytherins and Gryffindors unite,” Lacey joked and Williamson laughed.

Harry dismissed the class, but called, “Nott! Can I have a word?”

Lacey said goodbye to Williamson and hung back to talk to the Headmaster.

“Are you trying to hide the fact you like Williamson?” Harry asked from where he was leaning against his desk.

Lacey blushed again and said, “Well, yeah, I don’t want everyone to know.”

“From an outsider’s perspective, you aren’t doing a very good job of it,” Harry said.

“Do you think it’s obvious?” Lacey asked, she was chewing on her lip.

“Not too obvious, but tone it down a little if you’re trying to keep it secret,” Harry said kindly.

“Thank you sir, I talked to Professor Greengrass about it, like you said,” Lacey informed him.

“Did it help?” Harry asked, and was pleased when Lacey nodded.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Harry asked, watching her carefully.

“I think so,” Lacey said, she took a deep breath, “But I’m nervous.”

“Trust me, I know how nervous you must feel right now,” Harry said, putting a hand on her shoulder and steering her towards the door, “But try and get some sleep tonight, it will help.”

“I’ll try,” Lacey said, “Thanks sir,” she added as she joined the crowd moving towards the great hall.

Harry sighed, he didn’t feel particularly hungry so he made his way to his old office above the Defence classroom. Most of his possessions were now in the Headmaster’s office, but there were a few things in here of his, like the chest on the desk.

Harry sat down in the chair behind the desk and opened the chest, it was filled with photographs. He had left them here when he moved offices because he was fairly certain that every single photograph had Susan in it. He pulled the pile of magical photographs out and looked through them one by one. There were some of the Ministry Millennium Ball in January of 2000, he and Susan had only been together for a couple of months then, but they were practically living together at that point. He flipped through the photographs, they had been taken by Ron or Neville mostly, and in most of them he and Susan were dancing or posing for photographs. There were a few of he and Susan with Hermione and Sorenson who got together not long after that ball. Harry had never quite gotten why Hermione liked Sorenson, because as much as Harry liked him as a friend, he also reminded him a bit too much of Malfoy.

Then again, Hermione’s dating history wasn’t stellar. He had never been quite sure what had been between Hermione and Ernie either, but it had worked for them for a while. They talked often about books and new theories and spent a lot of time together reading, but Hermione had liked it because it had been quiet and easy and ordinary. 

Harry frowned when he reached the final photograph, he hadn’t remembered this one that well. It was a picture of Susan and Sorenson, but there was something in the background that made Harry smile slightly. He and Hermione could be seen in the background on the dance floor, Harry was twirling her around and she was laughing, it was the last time they had danced together until that night in his office.

Harry put the photos back into the chest and stood up, it wasn’t healthy to sit and dwell on the past. He decided to make an appearance at dinner, he didn’t want Daphne worrying about him after all.

***

When Harry walked into the great hall and took his place at the head table he was exhausted from the day, physically it had been taxing, but mentally it had been difficult too.

Harry sat down with a deep, heavy sigh and yawned, “Some days I don’t know how I do this.”

Daphne gave him a sympathetic smile, “Are you going to be alright for tomorrow?”

Harry shrugged and said, “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah right, you look like you’re about to fall over,” Daphne said, she raised an eyebrow as she looked at the Gryffindor.

“I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep,” Harry said, yawning once more.

“Tell me honestly, are you _really _going to sleep tonight?” Daphne asked sceptically. She lowered her voice and added, “As the person who sleeps with you, I know how restless you get when you’re worried about something.”

“I know, and you’re right. I probably won’t sleep,” Harry admitted.

“I’ll bring a sleeping draught up tonight,” Daphne said, she rested her hand very briefly on top of his.

He gave her a grateful smile.

Draco snorted and joked, “Needing a sleeping draught because you’re too weak to oversee a simple task? What age are you, Potter?”

Harry opened his mouth to retort, but Daphne got there first.

“Shut up Draco,” She said harshly, “Did you stop teaching your subject when you became Headmaster?”

Draco frowned, “Yes, but I fail to see how that is rele-“

“So you just sit around all day in your office?” Daphne asked glaring at her fellow Slytherin, “Harry has one free period a week and still takes _all _of his Defence classes, runs the duelling club and has to deal with maintaining a school and hosting this tournament on top of that. I think that gives him the right to be tired, unlike you, you just sit on your arse all day in your office reading porn.”

Draco floundered for a moment and gaped at the girl, “Uh…”

“Exactly,” Daphne said, she turned her head quickly and looked to an equally surprised Harry.

“Thanks,” Harry said genuinely, he grabbed her hand under the table, “I can’t remember the last time someone defended me like that.”

“Anytime,” Daphne said, shooting another irritated look in Draco’s direction for good measure.

Harry squeezed her hand and whispered “But how did you know he reads porn all day in his office?”

Daphne’s eyes twinkled, “You didn’t think that you were the only Headmaster I had slept with, did you?” she asked mischievously.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, “Do explain.”

Daphne laughed and said, “Remember that holiday at Christmas to visit my sister in Norway?”

Harry nodded, and Daphne continued, “My sisters husband Theo was friends with Draco at school so there was a big party at Durmstrang that we were invited too and he was the best of a bad bunch.”

Harry chuckled under his breath, “I hope that’s not the only reason you’re dating me,” he whispered.

“Trust me,” Daphne said, she caught his eye briefly and smiled, “It definitely isn’t.”

Harry smiled back, “Good, I’m glad to hear it.”

Dinner went by quickly after that, then Daphne brought Harry a sleeping draught and curled up next to him while he drifted off into a deep, comfortable slumber.


	8. The First Task

Harry walked into the great hall on the morning of the first task to find it full and buzzing with excitement. He sat down at breakfast and got an awkward apology from Draco which made Daphne smirk.

The champions then entered the hall to much applause, Agmund strutted in confidently and proceeded to eat a huge breakfast.

Harry was watching this all with great amusement. Fleur entered the hall with Gabrielle, she kissed her sister on the cheek and whispered something to her then they parted. Gabrielle was clearly trying to hold it together but Harry could tell she was nervous, and he completely understood why.

Finally Lacey entered the hall and when she did everyone started to cheer and clap, she grinned and sat down at the end of the Slytherin table, as close to the head table as possible. She looked up anxiously at Harry and caught his eye, he winked at her and smiled, his way of telling her that she would be fine. She nibbled at her food for a while and only brightened up when Williamson sauntered over to wish her luck.

“Is that Gryffindor chatting up the _Slytherin _champion?” Draco asked in disbelief.

Harry rolled his eyes, partly exasperated, but mostly amused, “Why is it so hard to believe that a Slytherin and a Gryffindor could be in a relationship together?”

Draco scoffed, “Because Slytherins are _Slytherins _and Gryffindors are _Gryffindors._”

“The partnership works Malfoy. Gryffindors get into trouble and Slytherins are cunning enough to get them out of it without getting caught themselves,” Harry pointed out.

“And Gryffindor men are good,” Daphne added, “They are fiercely loyal. It’s not all about courage and going gung-ho into a fight.”

“But we do kind of do that too,” Harry said with a grin.

Draco rolled his eyes, “You two would be all pro Gryffindor-Slytherin relations, since you are in fact a couple.”

“Frankly, I don’t know why _you _aren’t,” Daphne retorted, “Everyone knows you fancied the pants off Granger while we were at school.”

Harry’s eyes widened, “I did not know that.”

“No offence Harry, but that’s because you’re the most clueless person I’ve met,” Neville chimed in.

Draco snorted in amusement.

“And I’m not hearing much denial coming from your direction Malfoy,” Neville added.

“Why is _everyone _ganging up on me?” Draco asked slightly pitifully.

“Because you’re a bastard Malfoy,” Neville retorted.

“Shut up fatbottom.”

“That’s Professor fatbottom to you,” Neville joked to the man who had made his life hell in school, “And to add to your debate by the way. Slytherins are good for Gryffindors. They provide us with a challenge.”

“How would you know? I bet you’ve never dated a Slytherin in your life,” Draco said smugly.

“He dated Sadie Cauldwell for about 3 years actually,” Daphne said.

“And has avoided her for the last year because her Auror big brother threatened to kill him,” Harry teased.

Draco snorted, “Sorenson? Oh please, he’s a complete softy.”

“I know, he was my Auror partner,” Harry chuckled.

Draco looked up in surprise, “I didn’t know you were an Auror.”

Harry stiffened up slightly, “Yeah, that was what I did before I worked here.”

“You can’t have done it for very long,” Draco mused.

“Draco,” Daphne said in a warning tone.

“It’s fine,” Harry mumbled, “I brought it up. I was an Auror for just over a year then I had a career ending injury so I took on the DADA post at Hogwarts. Please don’t ask me any further questions about it.”

Draco frowned slightly, “That sounds like a press release.”

“Probably because it was his press release for about a year,” Neville said, “Did you seriously never read the prophet?”

“Not very often. I purposely avoided news of this place. I expected to see articles all about the golden Harry Potter and his perfect wife and his heroic best friends who probably also ran off and got married,” Draco said with a dramatic wave of his hand.

“So you avoided the prophet because you didn’t want to see pictures of Hermione marrying Ron? Merlin Malfoy, you are so hung up on her. Just ask her out for crying out loud,” Neville said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Harry opened his mouth to object, but before he could, Draco said, “Well before she left the other night, I invited her onto my boat for a night cap.”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “Did she actually say yes?”

“After a month of asking, yes she did,” Draco said, somewhat smugly, “So there, Longbottom.”

“Congratulations Malfoy. You graduated from the idiot who called the girl he liked a Mudblood to get her to notice him to some level of real human being.”

“Wow Longbottom, thanks,” Draco said dryly while Daphne laughed and Harry frowned.

He knew he was being hypocritical, because he was dating Daphne who was the Head of Slytherin. But for some reason, he really did not want Hermione to date Draco Malfoy.

***

As 10am drew nearer, the hall began to empty as the students all made their way out to the grounds. Harry hadn’t even seen the area yet, it had been top secret and he wasn’t technically supposed to know anything until today.

The whole thing made him feel quite uneasy; he didn’t like not knowing what was happening on the grounds of his own school.

As they headed out into the grounds, Harry fell into line with Draco, “You had better not try anything on with Hermione, Malfoy.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at him, “What are you, her personal bodyguard?”

“I’m the person who put her back together after she was tortured in the drawing room of your manor,” Harry said coolly, “And while I like you well enough, you would do well to remember that before you so much as consider asking Hermione out.”

“Understood,” Draco said.

They continued to walk together but they did so in silence. Harry had no idea what he was actually supposed to be doing. All they had been told was to meet Hermione and Susan in the champions tent so that they could explain the rules of the task.

There were arrows into the ground that the crowd of students were following, and Harry and Draco were walking slightly behind them.

“What’s that?” Harry asked with a frown as what appeared to be large, wooden stands appeared through the fog. It was extremely chilly today, as it always was in November.

“The seating for the students I imagine,” Draco replied, they were silent as they neared the edge of the forest. There was a long row of seats that the students were filing into and then a table on the lawn with 5 chairs for the judging panel.

“What the hell are they?” Draco mumbled, looking at what Harry could only describe as ‘large screens’ floating in mid-air. There were three in front of the student seating area and another 3 slightly smaller ones in front of the table where the judging panel would sit.

“Some sort of viewing device so that we can see what’s happening more closely, I suspect,” Harry replied as they reached two tents. One was the first aid tent and the other looked extremely familiar. He and Draco made their way into the tent and found 3 nervous, pacing champions and two ministry officials.

“Hey!” Harry said cheerfully when he saw Hermione.

She smiled back, “Hey,” she said, not sure why Susan was glaring at her.

“How did the preparations go?” Harry asked as he sat down on a wooden chair in the tent.

“Almost to plan,” Hermione said, she pulled up her sleeve and showed him a large bandage on her arm, “Apart from the acromantula that attacked me.”

“Have you had it seen to properly?” Harry asked, instantly worried about his friend.

Hermione looked sheepish as she replied, “Yes.”

“Liar,” Harry said, narrowing his eyes at her, “You can’t nag me about not going to the hospital to get my treatments if your just as scared of it as I am,” he said in amusement.

“It’s not bad,” Hermione assured him.

Harry glanced at the time on his watch, “I don’t believe you. Let me see it quickly before you brief the champions.”

Hermione sighed and undid the bandage, as it came off she grimaced and Harry winced, “Not bad? You should have got it seen to as soon as it happened,” Harry said, it wasn’t often that he told her off.

The cut on Hermione’s arm was fairly deep and oozing a yellow liquid, he wasn’t an expert, but Harry knew some basic healing charms so he quickly cleaned and closed the cut then wrapped it up for Hermione.

“Thanks,” Hermione said with a smile. When she looked up, she saw Draco observing her with a raised eyebrow.

She shot him an irritated look and said, “Now onto business. Could you four please sit down over there?” she asked Harry, Draco and Fleur.

They all made their way to a little table at the back of the tent. Draco smirked and whispered to Hermione as he passed her, “You can glare at me all you want Granger. I remember what happened on my ship before you left.”

Hermione tried to cover up her blush as Draco sat down in between Harry and Fleur.

Susan walked over to Hermione and asked sharply, “Shall we explain the task?”

Hermione nodded and called the three champions forward.

“Your first task is to find a map inside the forbidden forest. This is not a maze, or an obstacle course, and you can tackle it in any wish you wish. What is important is your objective, which is to find a mirror and retrieve the map from its depths.”

Susan took over at this point, “You will each enter the forest at separate points. Your paths may cross, should this happen the decision is yours as to whether or not to aid another champion or hinder their efforts.”

“The forest is inhabited by creatures native to it. No creatures have been imported for this task, you may be lucky and achieve the goal without seeing any creatures, or you may choose a path riddled with them,” Hermione added, looking around at the champions faces, “You will be judged on the time taken to complete the task, any injuries you receive, your magical ability, creativity, logic and intelligence.”

“You do not have a time limit to complete the task within,” Susan cut in, “But the faster, the better.”

“If you find yourself in trouble and wish to be removed from the forest send up red sparks from your wand,” Hermione informed the champions, “However you should know that if you do this the judges cannot award you with a score any higher than 5, for not completing the task.”

“If you find another champion injured or unconscious send up blue sparks,” Susan added.

Hermione nodded in agreement with Susan. She then took a contraption out of a box on the floor, it was a sweatband and there were 3, all in different colours, “You will wear this on your head, it is fitted with a device that will enable the judges and the students to see from your point of view.”

Hermione handed the sweatbands out; there was a blue one for Gabrielle, a light green one for Agmund and finally an emerald green one for Lacey.

“The task will start in 10 minutes, Miss. Bones will show you to your starting points,” Hermione said, “Any questions?”

No one shook their head. Hermione frowned, they all seemed to be prepared for this, _too _prepared.

“Good luck,” She said generally to all of the competitors.

“Good luck Lacey,” Harry said as he patted Lacey on the shoulder, “I know you’ll be great.”

Lacey gave him a nervous smile and got in line behind the other champions to be led to her station by Susan.

“Morning Harry,” Susan said warmly as she passed him, “I’ll see you on the judging panel.”

Harry was confused by how nice she was being so he just gave her a small smile. She then left with the champions, leaving Hermione and the other heads of school alone in the tent together.

“Harry,” Hermione said, approaching her friend with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, Hermione?” Harry asked innocently, he didn’t know what she was about to accuse him of, but it was likely that he was guilty of it.

“The champions seemed _very _prepared,” Hermione said, her eyes focused on him.

“Did they?” Harry asked, as if this was a point of interest to him.

“They did,” Hermione said, walking even closer until he was backed up against the side of the tent, “I don’t suppose you know anything about that?”

“Me?” Harry asked, raising his hands in the air, “Nope, nothing to do with me.”

“How did you find out?” Hermione asked, her eyes still narrowed.

Harry grinned, “You and firewhiskey aren’t a good combination when you’re trying to keep secrets,” he said, then he slipped out of the tent before she could shout at him. Fleur chuckled and followed him out, leaving Hermione alone in the tent with Draco.

Draco smirked at her, “He has a point you know. You do get rather interesting after a few drinks,” he said as he stepped up close to her, too close.

“Malfoy, just because I kissed you once-” Hermione began.

But before she could finish her sentence, he closed the gap between them. Her head told her to punch him, after all he had treated her like shit for years. But the butterflies in her stomach and the feeling of blood rushing to her head told her otherwise.

That had always been Hermione’s problem when it came to men. She was attracted to bad boys, and bad boys weren’t exactly boyfriend material. Apart from Sorenson of course.

Draco pulled away and smirked at her, “Would you look at that Granger, you just kissed me again. See you on the judging panel,” he whispered, sending shivers down her spine.

Then he too left the tent, leaving Hermione blushing in his wake.

***

5 minutes later the judges were seated, and Hermione was trying to avoid looking at Draco.

The stands in which the students were sitting, or standing, were buzzing with excitement. Harry had been slightly dismayed at first when he realised that the order of the judging panel had him in the middle with Susan on one side. On the bright side however, Hermione was on his other side and he didn’t have to sit next to Draco.

“Are you nervous?” Harry asked the group as a whole as he looked over to where Gabrielle, Agmund and Lacey were standing, all at separate paths that led into the forest.

“I’m anxious for it to go to plan,” Susan replied, her eyes also on the students by the forest, “But I imagine it’s worse for you.”

“She’s a great kid,” Harry said, not realising how polite and sociable he and Susan were acting towards each other, “I’m worried about her.”

Susan gave him a strange look, and Harry didn’t quite understand it, but regardless the conversation ended there because Hermione blew a whistle and all three champions took off at a sprint into the forest.

“And now it begins,” She said, motioning to the screens which came to life.

It was amazing, there was a small picture at the top of each screen to indicate whose viewpoint the person was watching. Harry’s eyes immediately flicked to Lacey’s screen of course, and it was astounding to see what she was seeing as she jogged through the forest at a reasonable speed.

“He’s going too fast,” Draco mumbled in frustration, “He’ll draw everything to him if he makes noise like that.”

Fleur was watching Gabrielle’s screen carefully, and from what Harry saw as he glanced over she was using a slow, quiet approach and was walking carefully through the forest, her feet were barely making a sound. Gabrielle, like her older sister, was very graceful. Obviously a Veela trait.

Harry didn’t talk to the other judges at first, his eyes flicking between the three screens. Agmund was crashing through the forest far too quickly making far too much noise and as a result he ran into trouble first, but he also made the most progress through the forest. So far the only problem he had faced was a swamp which he had vaulted over using a piece he had broken off of a nearby tree.

Lacey was occasionally muttering to herself and Harry smirked when she hid behind a tree as Agmund sprinted past her, “_W__hat _an idiot,” she mumbled as she shook her head, “What a way to attract creatures to your location.”

Harry couldn’t resist glancing at Hermione at this point, she too was trying to contain a smile as she remembered saying the exact same thing to him back in first year. He glanced back to Lacey’s screen to see her frowning and holding out her wand, she had obviously heard something. She was holding her breath, and then something fell out of a tree.

Lacey jumped at first but then laughed, “Hamish!” she whispered, “You scared me!”

The animal hanging from the tree was a clabbert, a small monkey like creature with smooth, green skin and webbed hands and feet. Its mouth was constantly open in a large smile full of sharp teeth, Lacey reached into her pocket and held out a handful of dead beetles which the clabbert ate instantly. The clabbert had a red pustule on its head which was glowing, that meant that danger was nearby.

“Is something more dangerous nearby?” Lacey asked the creature as she stroked it.

The clabbert nodded and pointed at two paths, “Which one is safe?” she asked.

The clabbert jumped down from the tree onto the ground and clawed at Lacey’s pocket. She laughed and took out more dead beetles which the clabbert ate. It then scurried towards the right path and pointed down it. Lacey stroked it on the head and said, “Here you go Hamish, thanks for helping me out,” and with her wand she killed a small lizard and threw it to the happy clabbert which proceeded to devour it.

“She’s named the clabbert by name,” Susan said with a slight frown.

Harry nodded, trying not to smile, “It’s not her first time in the forest, she’s out there at least once a year on detention with Hagrid.”

“Why does that not surprise me if she’s your prodigy?” Susan asked with a laugh.

“What I don’t know is why the hell she named it Hamish,” Harry commented, making Susan laugh again.

With Lacey on her way down a relatively safe path Harry glanced at the other screens, Gabrielle hadn’t run into anything so far, and Agmund had just run into his first creature.

Harry’s eyes were drawn to the screen when he heard the boy curse in his native language. He was hopping in pain and Draco looked like he might hit his head off of the table in frustration.

“What happened?” Harry asked Hermione.

“He walked in Streeler venom,” Hermione replied.

Harry frowned, “What’s a Streeler again?”

“A giant snail,” Susan cut in from his other side, “It changes colour every hour, but its venom is strong.”

“He should have been paying more attention,” Hermione said as the boy performed a few charms on his painful foot, “Streeler venom kills all vegetation in its wake, he would have been able to see that if he had looked at the ground instead of tried to run at full speed.”

“Taking your time is important in this task,” Susan agreed as she looked to the screen where the Durmstrang champion was now cursing the Streeler whose venom had hurt him.

Harry found himself watching Lacey’s screen again as she ran into a group of Doxy’s. She easily used imobilius to freeze them in mid-air and hurried onwards to a clearing that would have appeared empty to anyone who hadn’t seen death. The camera on her head didn’t show things through her mind, so to some students it might have been empty, but Harry could see the Thestrals in the clearing, and so could Lacey. Harry glanced along the panel, everyone could see the Thestrals, Hermione of course had seen Dobby die, and Fleur and Susan had both fought in the final battle so it was inevitable that they could see Thestrals. Draco could see them too, but then again he had seen Dumbledore die.

“Can she see them?” Fleur asked the group generally.

Harry replied sadly, “She and her brother saw their Mother die, I think Lacey was only 3 or 4 at the time.”

“She was younger than that,” Draco said quietly, “Almina died before Theo even started Hogwarts. I think Lacey was around 2, she doesn’t even remember her Mother.”

“How did she die?” Fleur asked quietly.

“Everything official says that she died in an accident,” Draco replied, “But if you ask Theo, his Father killed her with hatred until she just couldn’t cope anymore. Theo and Lacey found her body, thinking she was dead but she actually died a few minutes later.”

“That is awful,” Hermione whispered, “I never knew that about Theo.”

“He can’t talk about his Mother without getting upset,” Draco said gently, “That’s probably why he never told you.”

Hermione nodded, and Harry frowned at the slightly intimate moment between the two of them. They were all distracted by what was happening on the screens however.

Lacey approached the largest of the three Thestrals and stroked it, the Thestral didn’t try and hurt her or run away so she continued on and ran into yet another obstacle only a few moments later, a tree full of Bowtruckles.

She knew that they wouldn’t attack her unless she provoked them so she disguised herself with a charm very familiar to Harry and snuck past the tree as quietly as she could.

“I’ve never seen that charm,” Hermione said, sounding impressed.

“I have, she uses it to sneak around the school at night. I still catch her all the time though,” Harry said, chuckling in amusement, “She doesn’t know how often I snuck out of bed. I know all of the tricks of the trade and the location of every secret passageway.”

Hermione laughed and said, “Including pretending to be the Bloody Baron to scare people away.”

“That didn’t work on her,” Harry said in amusement, “She knew it was me from the way I worded what I said.”

Hermione laughed and they looked back to the screen to watch the action.

Gabrielle’s approach was working, but Harry couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take her to complete the task at this rate. She had encountered a few fairly harmless creatures on her way through the forest and had put them to sleep rather than hurt them, but by making sure she was careful and quiet she wasn’t making progress very quickly. She hit her first real problem when she came across a tree infested with Bowtruckles and hid behind it to avoid some imps running by.

The Bowtruckles were insulted because she had touched their tree and jumped down to attack her. They were literally stick creatures and in theory weren’t that difficult to kill. Harry wondered how Gabrielle would handle them. A simple spell would kill them, or stupefy would knock them out if a more simple approach was desired, but there was an easier way to placate them which was to feed them woodlice. Gabrielle backed away in fear, clearly deliberating her options and instead of trying to fight the Bowtruckles she produced a full body, very impressive shield charm and ran through them, not lowering it until she was back on a safe path.

“She’s smarter than she appears,” Harry said thoughtfully, “It’s important to know when to fight and when to run away.”

“Sometimes you have to fight,” Susan reasoned, “But you’re right, other times you can run away, so why waste any time fighting?”

“I wish I’d been able to run away when I was in this tournament,” Harry said with a slightly dark look in his eyes, and Susan merely nodded, they were both thinking of Cedric.

After his confrontation with the Streeler, Agmund was unlucky, he seemed to have chosen the worst path, either that or his noise level had drawn all of the creatures to him, which seemed very likely. He ran into the Bowtruckles that Lacey had encountered earlier and blasted them out of the way. Then he threw a ton of spells around when he bumped into an invisible Thestral, (he obviously hadn’t seen death) he failed to hit it and continued running only to bump into a group of centaurs who he pissed off by trying to curse.

Harry rolled his eyes as the centaurs reared at him and threatened him, he was sufficiently scared and stopped trying to curse them for long enough for them to tell to him that he must solve their riddle to continue down the path. There were only 3 centaurs, and Harry knew there were much more in the forest so he wondered if Hermione had stationed them so that no matter what way they went every champion would bump into the centaurs.

Harry glanced at the other screens while Agmund tried to get his head around the riddle that the centaurs had given him. Gabrielle was further behind, and had just encountered a tree full of fairies.

“Oh hello,” Gabrielle said as they fluttered around her, “Aren’t you so pretty?”

The fairies made high pitched giggling noises and seemed at ease, the trick with fairies was to compliment them as they were very vain creatures.

“Good handling of the fairies,” Hermione noted as Gabrielle continued on and stunned a few imps before reaching the centaur clearing.

“Why hasn’t Lacey gotten to the centaurs yet?” Harry asked with a frown, she was moving fast, she shouldn’t have been behind the other two.

“There isn’t just one clearing with centaurs in it,” Hermione said with a smile, “There are 3, if someone takes the wrong path they could bump into three centaurs all with different means of letting the champion pass.”

“I have a feeling that was your idea,” Harry chuckled.

Hermione only nodded, still smiling at the cleverness of her idea.

Harry glanced back to the screens, he was watching Lacey now while Agmund and Gabrielle tried to get past the centaurs. Agmund had to solve a riddle and Gabrielle had to do a logic puzzle. Harry wondered what Lacey would have to do if she ran into the centaurs. She had been moving at a good pace through the forest but hadn’t really come to many crossroads yet, she had worked good on intuition and seemed to be going deeper into the forest. She reached another fork in the path and had to choose to go up, left or right. She stopped and thought about it for a moment, and that was when she came across another creature. There was a rustling in the trees around her and then a giant spider crawled out of the foliage, followed by three more. Harry recognised them, they were clearly Aragog’s children.

“Okay,” Lacey said as calmly as she could as she backed away. The spiders clicked their pincers menacingly and Harry smiled as he thought of how much Ron would be freaking out if he was here now, “Like Theo used to tell me when I flailed as a kid…no use trying to reason with an acromantula.”

This had all of the judges laughing, along with several of the students in the crowd.

“Incendio!” Lacey said, pointing her wand at the ground in front of the spiders. They squealed at the flames and scuttled away as fast as their many, creepy legs could handle. Lacey put the fire out straight away and casually continued on, choosing the path to the left.

“Clever,” Harry said proudly,

Hermione smirked, “That reminds me of an idea Susan had to create lots of magical fires so that the champions had to face Ashwinders.”

Susan glared at Hermione across the table and Harry tried not to snigger.

“Aren’t Hufflepuff’s meant to be good at Care of Magical Creatures?” Draco asked in amusement.

“I just didn’t think about the location,” Susan said sharply.

“Yeah,” Harry said, still holding back his sniggering, “Starting a lot of magical fires and setting loose Ashwinders in the middle of a forest full of wood must have seemed like a great idea at the time,” he teased. His heart skipped a beat, this was how they had acted when they were together.

Susan let a small smile out and hit Harry playfully on the arm, “Shut up,” she said jokingly.

“Oh, she’s at the centaurs,” Harry said as he looked back to Lacey’s screen. She had come across Firenze, Ronan and Magorian.

“Oh great,” Lacey said when she saw the centaurs, “Are you here to stop me getting past then?”

Magorian chuckled under his breath, “Maybe they do teach you something up at that school.”

“So, what’s it going to be? A riddle, a question, a puzzle?” Lacey asked as she sat down on a rock.

“She is knowledgeable of our ways,” Ronan said.

Firenze bowed his head in agreement, “Her mentor is the great Harry Potter, he is a friend of centaurs.”

“The _great _Harry Potter?” Lacey asked in amusement, “You mean Professor Potter? The teacher who throws Bertie Botts beans at people who aren’t paying attention in class?”

“Harry Potter saved my life in the Great Battle of Hogwarts,” Firenze said sincerely, “He is a great wizard. As great as Albus Dumbledore.”

“He is a pretty great Headmaster, I’ll give you that. Anyway, I’m his prodigy so does that mean I can pass?” Lacey asked, she knew it was a longshot but it was worth trying.

“I am afraid not,” Ronan said, “The riddle is this. What heavenly body has a head and a tail?”

Lacey frowned as she contemplated this, “Heavenly body…well it isn’t going to be a star sign…or a group of stars because they aren’t really heavenly bodies so that rules out Leo…and Sirius.”

“She’s good,” Hermione said.

Harry nodded, still quite overwhelmed by what Firenze had said about him.

“Heavenly body…not a planet…or a shooting star…but…maybe…I think I’ve got it!” Lacey said, jumping up from her rock, “A comet. The head is the main part that crashes into the land, and the tail is the streak made up of gasses that follows it!”

“You are wise beyond your years young one,” Firenze said, bowing slightly to the girl, “Give Harry Potter my respects when you next see him.”

“I will,” Lacey promised as the centaurs moved out of the way and let her leave the clearing. She set out on the next pathway through the forest.

“That was too easy for her,” Harry said with a chuckle, “Aurora will be proud, she only took Astronomy in 1st and 2nd year.”

“She’s been reading up on it,” Hermione said with a smile, “After your initial meeting when you told her to read up on her weak areas I’ve seen her with astronomy books in the library often.”

“I’m glad she listened to my advice,” Harry said, he was beaming proudly.

He glanced at the other screens, Gabrielle had gotten past the centaurs but Harry had missed how, “What did she have to do?” he asked.

“It was a puzzle,” Hermione said, “With 6 potions, she had to pick which was safe of the poisonous ones’”

“Why does that sound familiar?” Harry asked as he winked at Hermione.

She smirked, “Hey, it doesn’t say in the rules that those setting up the tasks can’t draw from their own experiences.”

Agmund was still having trouble with the riddle the centaur had given him. Harry asked the others what the riddle was, and they told him it was a short riddle that went as such:

_I have seas without water_

_I have forests without wood_

_I have deserts without sand_

_I have houses without brick_

_What am I?_

“It’s a bloody map,” Draco said, his face was slightly red and Harry had a feeling Agmund would be getting a talking too when he came out of the forest.

“He’s fast and good at fighting,” Hermione whispered to Harry, “But he isn’t that intelligent.”

“Bit like Viktor then,” Harry teased.

Hermione muttered, “Amen to that.”

After another 5 minutes Agmund figured the puzzle out and continued down the path he was on.

“You idiot, you went the wrong way,” Draco was saying to the screen even though Agmund couldn’t hear him, “You’re supposed to go deeper into the forest not backtrack on yourself!”

“I think that’s exactly what he’s doing,” Susan said with vague amusement.

Gabrielle, having got past the centaurs, was moving as slowly as ever and then she ran into a hippogriff. She seemed to have it under control, she bowed to the creature then carefully made her way past it being careful not to break eye contact.

“That’s impressive,” Susan said as she watched this, “Note that down Hermione, the ease with which she got by that hippogriff.”

Hermione nodded and did so.

Agmund was having as hard a time as ever after getting past the centaurs. He seemed to be bumping into every creature on his side of the forest. He ran into a forest troll which was fairly easy for him to handle since he aggressively threw every spell he knew at it until he had knocked it out. He then arrived amongst a flock of pixies who had clearly been imported at some point because they had originated in England. This should have been an easy creature to evade with a simple spell, as Hermione had demonstrated in 2nd year. However this clearly wasn’t easy to Agmund who was caught by the creatures, he thrashed around as they lifted him up by his ears and his robes and hung him onto a branch of a nearby tree. They then sped away cackling leaving Agmund cursing in their wake.

“It’s Lockhart all over again,” Draco joked with a chuckle.

“And there’s no Hermione to save the day and round them up,” Harry said with a grin at his best friend.

Hermione smiled sheepishly at this.

“And no Longbottom for them to hang from a chandelier, sadly,” Draco joked.

Hermione shot him a glare, “See this is why people don’t like you Draco.”

Harry snorted in amusement and looked up at the screens, “How’s Lacey doing?”

“She’s just run into a swamp,” Hermione filled him in.

“I didn’t think there _were _swamps in the forest,” Harry said, he narrowed his eyes at Hermione who looked a little sheepish, “I thought you said that you didn’t import anything for this task?”

“I said I didn’t import any _creatures_,” Hermione corrected him. Confused, but amused, Harry glanced back to the screen.

Lacey frowned as she reached the swamp, she paused on the edge of it. The only thing to do was to go over it, but something wasn’t right, “There _aren’t _any swamps in the forest…Hagrid said the terrain wasn’t right…”

“Smart girl,” Susan noted.

“Hang on a minute!” Lacey said to herself, “This looks familiar…” she put her hands in the reeds at the edge of the swamp and grinned, “I knew it! This isn’t a real swamp, it’s a portable Weasley swamp.”

“How does she know that?” Hermione asked, completely stunned.

“She had a part-time job there over the summer,” Harry replied.

Susan asked, “How do you know so much about this girl?”

Harry frowned, “She’s in 7th year Susan, I’ve taught her since she was in 3rd year, I make an effort to know my pupils.”

Susan was momentarily surprised, but then she smiled, “I think people underestimate you too often Harry,” she said simply.

Harry didn’t have time to question what she meant by that because he was so busy watching Lacey on the screen. She mumbled a spell under her breath and the swamp vanished, she grinned and continued on. This was like a walk in the park for her so far.

“Ah, this is like a walk in the park,” Lacey sighed, echoing Harry’s thoughts, “A park with evil hairy spiders and creepy centaurs, but a park all the same.”

The students were chuckling at Lacey, Harry found her sense of humour was very similar to his.

Agmund had clearly managed to get down from the tree and had been plodding along without much hassle for the last little while, but then he came across a clearing that was familiar. It was the same clearing that Lacey had hid in while he charged past her. He was definitely running around in circles and crossing over himself. Out of the same tree a clabbert appeared with its large smile and its mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Agmund jumped and backed away slowly, finally realising he didn’t have to fight _everything_. The path he took was the opposite of the one he had taken the first time, so he avoided running into the Streeler again, but he did run into a group of Doxys instead. He seemed to think they were fairies and tried to sneak past them but then they swooped down on him and while he managed to subdue a few he sustained a couple of bites.

“How long until he needs to be withdrawn to take an antidote?” Draco asked, rolling his eyes at his champion.

“An hour, but he might hallucinate which will make it harder to finish,” Hermione said, she glanced at the time. The champions had been in the forest for over half an hour now, and two of them at least were making good progress towards the mirror.

Harry went back to watching Lacey’s screen, he hadn’t paid too much attention to Gabrielle because she wasn’t really running into as many obstacles as the others.

Lacey had started walking slightly faster which had been going well until she got her foot caught in a Niffler hole and fell over. She moaned in pain as she pulled her foot out and got to her feet. She tried to put weight on it and grimaced.

Lacey bit her lip and sat down on a rock for a moment. A few Nifflers were hovering around by her feet sniffing her. She pulled off her watch and threw it to them, they all vanished down to their burrow with it, but she knew that they would be back.

She uttered a numbing charm on her foot and got up, she started moving again but she was much slower now since she couldn’t feel her foot. She also had to glance down every so often to make sure she wasn’t bending it at an odd angle when her feet fell on large tree roots taking over the path.

“She’s the closest,” Harry said eagerly as Lacey had to use lumos because the forest was getting so dark.

“Loser! Loser!”

Lacey frowned and spun around looking for the source of the noise, she found it in a strange creature that looked like a ferret which was crouching nearby watching her and shouting the word ‘loser’ constantly.

“What the hell is that?” Draco asked as he stared at Lacey’s screen.

“A Jarvey,” Susan replied, “Related to a ferret probably, but it can speak and its favourite thing to do is insult, as you can see.”

“Why would a twitchy little ferret like that look familiar?” Hermione asked with a smirk as she glanced at Draco.

Draco glared at her and his face flushed bright red, “Shut up Granger.”

“Original retort Malfoy,” Harry said as he sniggered under his breath.

Lacey was at a fork again and was trying to decide whether to continue up or go down, and the Jarvey was not helping her concentrate.

“Bloody hell! Shut up,” She said irately to the creature.

“Bloody hell,” The Jarvey screeched in a high pitched voice, “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

“Jarveys also repeat things they’ve heard before,” Susan said to the others.

“Fuck! Fucking hell! Fuck!” The Jarvey said loudly.

Lacey shook her head, partly exasperated but mostly amused, “Jarveys pick up on what other people say. Where the hell did it learn that all the way out here?” she asked herself.

“Hermione! Hermione! Hermione!” The Jarvey said.

Lacey narrowed her eyes at the creature, “Why did she say that?”

“Spider! Funny! Spider! Funny!” The Jarvey said and then it cackled.

Harry and Draco were both struggling to catch their breath as they laughed at a red faced Hermione.

“I thought you didn’t swear?” Harry teased through his laughter.

“I had just gotten attacked by a bloody acromantula, I think that means I’m allowed to swear,” Hermione retorted.

Harry still couldn’t stop laughing. Back in the forest the Jarvey was still repeating the same phrase and Lacey was fed up, “Oh shut up,” she said as she aimed her wand at the creature and shouted, “Muffliato!”

Harry frowned and said, “How the _fuck _does she know that spell?”

“Watch your language Harry,” Hermione cut in.

“You can’t talk,” Draco smirked, “You taught a Jarvey how to swear.”

Hermione’s cheeks flushed pink again and Harry continued, “There are only 3 people alive who know that spell! And that’s me, you and Ron.”

“Actually Harry,” Hermione said cautiously, “I taught Theo it.”

“What?” Harry said, he seemed outraged, “That’s our secret spell! And you taught _Theo _it? Ugh! Well that obviously how she knows it!”

“I’m sorry,” Hermione said, starting to feel guilty, “No, wait, why am I saying sorry? It’s just a spell!”

“But it was our secret spell! You better have not taught anyone Sectumsempra!” Harry said as he glared at her slightly through narrowed eyes.

“Harry, I don’t even _know _Sectumsempra,” Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.

“Nobody should _ever _know that spell, look at what you did to me with it,” Draco said a little bitterly as he lifted one side of his robes up and showed them the scars. It made Hermione wince.

“What are you talking about? Harry wouldn’t do something like that!” Susan said in defence of her ex-boyfriend.

“Unfortunately Susan I did, and I can’t honestly say that I regret that much in my life but that is one thing that I really do,” Harry said sincerely.

Draco seemed surprised by Harry’s sincerity, so he remained silent. Hermione hadn’t realised quite how badly scarred the attack had left Draco, and she found herself feeling a little bit angry towards Harry over the fact he had never told her that.

“Look, he is at the Thestrals again,” Fleur said.

Everyone looked to Agmund’s screen, he had backtracked on himself as they had suspected and ended up tripping over a Thestral which it didn’t appreciate so it nipped him. He ran away and blasted his way through the Bowtruckles once more. This time he continued on the same path rather than turning off it. He didn’t seem to be suffering too badly from the venomous bites, he was just a little slower. He got to the clearing where Lacey had dealt with the Acromantulas earlier and swore rather loudly in Norwegian. He didn’t try and scare them away or run away, instead he shouted, “Arania Exumai!” and blasted his way through the spiders, he jogged until he was far enough away from them and then slowed to a walk.

“She must be nearly there,” Harry said quietly, Lacey was really in the heart of the forest now and she had just come across a pure white unicorn with a golden foal next to it. She stopped and tried to remain quiet. She picked up a stick from the ground and threw it at the unicorns, it didn’t hit either of them but it scared them and they ran away enabling Lacey free to continue on the path she was on.

Gabrielle couldn’t have been too far behind her because she had just come across the Nifflers. Sure enough after taking Lacey’s watch they had come back up to bother some more people. The Nifflers surrounded her and tried to grab her necklace. Gabrielle let out a very girly scream as the Nifflers started to scratch her and draw blood, “Get off!” she said as she tried to shake them off of her but it wasn’t any good, “Merde!”

“What’s she saying?” Harry asked.

“She’s swearing in French,” Fleur said, shaking her head at her sister, “She should just give the Niffler the necklace.”

Gabrielle managed to get the Nifflers off of her by using stupefy and she hurried onwards with a few more cuts to her face and neck. The next obstacle she reached was the Jarvey.

‘Bitch!’ The Jarvey shouted.

Gabrielle gaped at it, “How dare you!”

“Gabby it doesn’t have a brain, just silence it,” Fleur said to the screen, she was slightly exasperated.

“How does it know the word bitch?” Harry asked Hermione in an undertone.

“Bitch!” The Jarvey said again, “Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!”

Hermione’s cheeks flushed, “When we were setting things up, I may have muttered insulting words about a fellow colleague under my breath.”

Harry grinned, “I thought you got on?”

“We did, until she broke your heart,” Hermione whispered back.

Harry gave a slightly subdued nod at this.

“Lacey is in the clearing with the mirror,” Susan said.

The others all looked up to see that Lacey had indeed just entered a clearing where a very familiar mirror stood.

“Is that the-” Harry began to ask, but Hermione just nodded.

Lacey walked up to the mirror and frowned. When she looked inside it she saw a peculiar sight. She was standing with her brother and Mother behind her and next to her Robert Williamson had his arm wrapped around her.

“This can’t be the future,” Lacey whispered as she touched the mirror, “My Mother is dead…”

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat and under the table Hermione took his hand and held it tightly, “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He didn’t say anything at first as he watched Lacey drop to her knees in front of the mirror, “This isn’t real…what does it show…” she tried to work it out.

She then found the writing and tried to decipher it, “But it isn’t in any language I know,” she muttered, “Maybe it’s a code, or a puzzle…”

“Do you think she will work it out?” Hermione asked Harry, still holding his hand under the table.

“I don’t know. I didn’t, but I know you would have,” Harry said as Lacey frowned and looked at the writing some more.

“Hang on that word…” She said, “Erised…that’s desire backwards.”

“She’s got it,” Harry said, dropping Hermione’s hand and smiling proudly as Lacey worked out what the inscription on the mirror said.

“I show…not your…face…but your…hearts…desire.”

“My heart’s desire? I suppose I do wish my Mother was alive,” Lacey mused, “So the mirror shows what our heart needs…it shows what we need…” she got to her feet, “I need the clue to the next task,” she said and then she gasped when she felt something appear in her hand.

It looked like a map, but she didn’t get a very good look because the second it touched her skin she was transported extremely quickly from the mirror to the edge of the forest where she had started. The map was a portkey.

“Oh Merlin’s balls!” Lacey cursed as she landed feet first, the force of the portkey on her sprained ankle had been agony and she ended up falling to the ground but the crowd were still cheering like crazy as Madam Pomfrey rushed out to take her to the medical tent.

“A portkey?’ Harry asked angrily, “Whose stupid idea was that? A portkey is stupid if someone uses it when injured!”

“It was Susan’s,” Hermione said, getting glared at by Susan for this.

“Well in my defence, I didn’t expect someone to sprain their ankle on a Niffler hole!” Susan said.

Harry got to his feet and Hermione said, “Harry, wait, you can’t leave until everyone is finished!”

“I don’t care, I’m checking if Lacey’s alright,” Harry said and with that he took off at a jog along the tree line until he reached the medical tent. He slipped through the curtain and smiled when he saw Lacey lying on one of the makeshift beds.

“Well done,” Harry said with a grin, “Apart from spraining your ankle.”

Lacey rolled her eyes, “I know, what a lame injury. It would have been cooler if I’d been attacked by a troll or something.”

“It probably would have been a lot more painful too,” Harry said which made Lacey laugh.

“Professor, shouldn’t you still be watching the others? Or am I the last to finish?”

“You’re the first to finish so yes, I probably should be watching the others. I just wanted to check that you were okay,” Harry admitted.

Lacey smiled, “I’m fine, but thank you for checking on me.”

Harry smiled and nodded, “I’ll see you later when we give out the scores,” he said, and with that he left the tent and jogged back over to the judging panel.

“What did I miss?” He asked when he sat down.

“Not much,” Hermione replied, “Gabrielle got past the Jarvey, she eventually just walked away from it.”

“And Agmund is closing in on the mirror,” Susan added reluctantly, it was as if she still didn’t want to talk to Harry because of his earlier jibe at her idea.

Agmund found the mirror easily and stared into it for a while, the others weren’t sure what he was seeing because unlike Lacey he didn’t talk to himself, but Draco seemed to have an idea. He looked to the writing, as Lacey had and also worked out that it was backwards. Once he had done this he found it difficult to figure out how to get the clue from the mirror.

“I want the clue,” he was saying, but of course it wasn’t working because he needed to need it, rather than want it. Eventually he cracked it, but this was pure chance because he got frustrated and said, “Oh come on, I need the clue!” and then the map appeared in his hand and he appeared briefly at the tree line but was then taken to the medical tent.

“I’m surprised the Doxy venom had so little an effect on him,” Hermione mused.

“He’s a fairly big guy, it probably would have had an effect if he had taken much longer,” Harry said, he knew a fair bit about potions, he had picked a lot up from Daphne and potions were useful in Defence to illustrate alternate methods of killing a creature, or as cures to the curses he was teaching his students to defend themselves against.

“Gabrielle is nearly done,” Fleur commented as Gabrielle reached the unicorns and walked quietly up to them, she stroked them gently but they ran away regardless and all that was left for her to do was to trudge on until she reached the clearing with the mirror. Once she did Gabrielle worked out the trick quickly, but not quite as fast as Lacey had.

“What is she seeing?” Hermione asked Fleur as Gabrielle stared into the mirror.

Fleur replied sadly, “She was born as a twin, but her twin sister died as a baby. I think she is seeing herself next to her.”

“That’s so sad,” Hermione said as Gabrielle drew her gaze from the mirror and focused on the writing, like the others she worked out the trick and unlike Agmund figured out the ‘need’ aspect quickly. The map appeared in her hand and like the other champions she was transported to the edge of the forest from where she was taken to the medical tent.

“Alright, we have half an hour!” Hermione said, she had been noting down the times for each champion, “We need to give each champion a score out of ten based on their time, skill, magical ability, creativity, logic, general intelligence and knowledge of the creatures they encountered.”

“What were the overall times?” Susan asked Hermione who glanced down at the notes she had been taking and said, “Lacey did it in 1 hour and 2 minutes, Agmund did it in 1 hour and 16 minutes and Gabrielle did it in 1 hour and 24 minutes.”

While the champions were being seen to in the medical tent the judges began to compile their scores.


	9. Keep My Distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title comes from the Christina Perri song, "Keep My Distance".

After 30 minutes of deliberation, the judges had their scores ready as Gabrielle, Agmund and Lacey walked out of the tent and took their places in front of the judging panel. 

“The scores will be given in alphabetical order,” Hermione said, “Up first…Miss. Gabrielle Delacour.”

Fleur stood up first and gave her score, “I award Miss. Delacour 7 points. I was impressed by the amount of difficult creatures she got past easily, however she made two simple creatures, Nifflers and Jarvey’s, look extremely difficult. I also think that while caution is good, her time was too slow.”

Gabrielle gave a small nod and Hermione then stood up to give her score, “I award Miss. Delacour 6 points. I agree that the Nifflers and Jarveys were not handled appropriately for their level of difficulty, and I also think that her time of completion should have been much nearer to an hour.”

Gabrielle nodded again and Hermione sat down. Harry stood up next, “I award Miss. Delacour 8 points. I agree with the others that her handling of Nifflers and Jarveys was not fantastic, however having dealt with time issues myself in this situation I think the fact she finished the task with minor injuries gives her the right to a good score.”

Gabrielle smiled and nodded once more. Harry took his seat and Susan got up, “I award Miss. Delacour 7 points. I also believe she handled some creatures badly and that her time was not ideal. However I think the amount of knowledge she showed of the creatures encountered was impressive.’

As Susan sat down and Draco stood up Gabrielle smiled at Susan and nodded yet again.

“I award Miss. Delacour 6 points,” Draco said, “I agree with the other judges that her overall method was well thought out, however she _should _have been quicker. The way she dealt with the Nifflers and Jarveys was pathetic and even that oaf Hagrid could have done it better.”

Gabrielle looked downtrodden by this, and Harry glared at Draco, “Stop insulting my gamekeeper please Headmaster Malfoy, otherwise I will be forced to remove you from the judging panel.”

The crowd cheered, and there shouts of, “GO HEADMASTER!” from the Gryffindors amongst it. Hermione silenced them all by standing up and saying, “Overall Miss. Delacour we award you 34 points.”

Gabrielle curtseyed to the judges and Hermione then said, “We will now give the scores for Mr. Agmund Erickson.”

Again Fleur stood up first, “I award Mr. Erickson 5 points. I am afraid that while the Durmstrang champion did complete the task in a reasonable time, he did so in a brutish manner with a lack of knowledge of the creatures he was facing and due awareness of them.”

Agmund got very red in the face and shouted, “How dare you give me so few points? I deserve better than that!”

Harry opened his mouth to tell the Durmstrang champion off, but Draco got to it before him, “Mr. Erickson! Stop being such a spoiled prince, and keep a civil tongue! You will accept the marks given and treat each judge with the respect they deserve or you will spend the remainder of the tournament cleaning the ship!”

“Yes Headmaster,” Agmund said sincerely.

The rest of the judges were slightly surprised because they had expected Draco to be very lax on the rules when it came to his own students.

“Regardless of what many of you may think of me,” Draco said to the other judges, “I got this job on merit and I do not intend for any of my students to be permitted to act the way I did at school.”

“Well,” Harry said, sounding impressed, “You’re not such a bad Headmaster after all.”

Draco gave him a small nod and said, “Thank you Harry.”

Fleur had sat back down so Hermione now stood up to give Agmund her score, “I award Mr. Erickson 4 points. I was initially going to award him 5, however given his disrespect towards a fellow judge this score seemed more appropriate.”

“You cannot do that!” Agmund said, “You cannot take points away after the challenge has finished!”

“Mr. Erickson,” Draco said harshly, “Judges may take points from you whenever they wish, however it rarely happens because normally no champion is foolish enough to insult a judge. I would suggest you keep your mouth shut as there are still more scores to come and more judges to deduct marks due to your inappropriate behaviour.”

Agmund gave a nod and stared at the ground and the crowd went wild again.

“MALFOY! MALFOY! MALFOY! MALFOY!” The crowd chanted.

“Draco,” Harry said thoughtfully, “Is this the first time anyone has ever chanted your name on the premises of this school in a good way?”

“Shut up Potter,” Draco said, almost fondly.

Harry grinned and Draco said to Hermione, “Miss. Granger, if you would continue.”

Hermione smiled at him and said, “I felt Mr. Erickson handled simple creatures with difficulty and that his method of running through the forest as fast as possible was foolish and dangerous.”

She took her seat and Harry stood up to give his points, “I award Mr. Erickson 3 points. Frankly, the only part of this task I felt was strong was his spell work. His navigation was terrible, his logic was non-existent and he received the most injuries.”

Agmund seemed to have learned his lesson and nodded glumly. Susan then stood up and said, “I award Mr. Erickson 5 points. Like the other judges I felt that his approach was rash and not at all planned. I felt that he was not organised, or prepared for the task. Although he did complete the task in a sensible time, he also took the worst route and was the most injured.”

Again Agmund nodded as Susan sat down, the judges all saw him visibly swallow when Draco stood up to give his score, “I award Mr. Erickson 3 points. I felt that he was unprepared for the task, and I also felt that he handled creatures that should have been easy for a 2nd year to deal with foolishly. Being unable to defend oneself against Pixies and Doxys is pathetic, and there is no excuse for getting caught by Streeler venom when it gives off such an obvious sign of its existence. There was no sign that he had any sense of navigation and his tactic of running blindly through the forest as fast as possible was indeed rash and unsuccessful. I deplore his rudeness to my fellow judges and frankly I do not know how he was chosen as champion amongst others who clearly display more intelligence and self-control.”

“MALFOY! MALFOY! MALFOY!” The crowd cheered again, and Draco did a small bow before sitting down.

Agmund looked like he wanted to kill someone. With the final judges score out Hermione stood up and said, “Overall, we award Mr. Erickson a total of 20 points.”

Agmund gave a very angry nod and then went back to staring at the ground. Hermione said, “Finally, we will reveal the scores for Miss. Lacey Nott.”

Fleur stood up first and said, “I award Miss. Nott 9 points,” Lacey grinned at this, and Fleur continued, “I felt her approach was sensible and I also believe that it was kind of her to treat the creatures in the forest with the respect she did. I was impressed that she managed to complete the task without hurting creatures, her tactic of scaring them or subduing them was both intelligent and kind. I feel she portrayed logic, common sense and intelligence. I deduct one point for the injury she sustained.”

Lacey nodded, and Hermione then stood up, “I award Miss. Nott 8 points. I agree that she had a good method of moving through the forest and I applaud her for not receiving any injuries from the creatures she faced. I was impressed by her knowledge of the magical creatures she encountered, however she knows this forest well and that gave her a slightly unfair advantage over the other champions.”

Lacey nodded again, she was still smiling, “That’s fair, thanks Miss. Granger!”

Harry then stood up, he smirked at the girl as she surveyed him carefully, “I award Miss. Nott 9 points.”

Lacey grinned, “Thanks Professor!”

“As the other judges have noted she did use a good tactic to move through the forest and handled the creatures with ease, she also portrayed intelligence and logic in solving the centaurs riddle and was the fastest to work out how to retrieve the clue for the next task, and finish the task. My only negative comments are that she should have paid slightly more attention to where she was going, and that she did have a slight advantage from knowing the forest.”

Susan then stood up and said, “I award Miss. Nott 9 points. I must agree with Headmaster Potter that both her tactic, and ease with the creatures was impressive. Her navigational skills were also to her credit and I agree with her use of non-lethal spells as a kindness to the creatures in the forest.”

Lacey was still grinning as Draco stood up to give his score, “I award Miss. Nott 7 points-” he began.

“7?” Lacey asked in disbelief, “Aw come on Uncle Draco!”

“_Uncle _Draco?” Hermione asked in surprise.

Draco glared at Lacey, “I told you not to call me that here.”

“_Uncle _Draco?” Harry echoed with a raised eyebrow.

Draco rolled his eyes, “Yes Potter, you are not the only judge who is also a Godfather.”

“Who made _you _a Godfather?” Harry asked through his chuckles.

“My brother when our Father died, against his better judgement,” Lacey smirked, “So why only 7?”

“I feel,” Draco began again, “That Miss. Nott’s approach was good, and her handling of the creatures in the forest was also impressive. _However, _she had a very unfair disadvantage in that she knew the swamp was fake which enabled her to skip that obstacle in effect, and she also got injured in frankly a stupid way.”

“That’s only two, why did you take three points off?” Lacey asked, she wasn’t defying the judges like Agmund had done, she was just curious.

“I took the last point off for her being a smart arse,” Draco said, getting laughter from Lacey and the crowd. Draco smiled and said, “In all seriousness, she had an awareness of the forest that the others didn’t and I believe that gave her an unfair advantage.”

Lacey nodded her agreement that this was fair and Hermione stood up to give the final scores.

“Overall, we award Miss. Nott 42 points,” She said, “Which means that Miss. Nott is in 1st place, Miss. Delacour is in 2nd place, and Mr. Erickson is in 3rd place.”

There was more cheering and then it was over.

The champions went back to their homes, or temporary homes, to get some much needed rest. The students all started to make their way back up to the castle for lunch and the judges departed for the castle too.

“I think that was a success,” Harry said to Hermione, “And now you can relax until February.”

“I wish,” Hermione said with a laugh, “I’ve still got the Yule Ball to plan, remember?”

“Ah, I’d forgotten about that,” Harry admitted sheepishly.

“I wish I could,” Hermione said sounding like she really wasn’t looking forward to planning the ball.

“Do you also wish you could forget about whatever happened on Malfoy’s ship before you left?” Harry asked slyly.

Hermione looked up in alarm, “How did you know about that?”

“He was bragging to Neville over breakfast this morning,” Harry said, it was hard to read his tone.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “So I kissed him. I had a couple of drinks, he gave me a tour of his stupid boat and I kissed him. It was a lapse of judgement on my behalf, clearly, but that is all there is to it.”

“Are you sure about that? Because you’re a little too bothered about the whole thing to convince me that you’re not bothered,” Harry pointed out.

“I’m bothered because he’s bothering me!” Hermione snapped, “I should not have feelings for him after…everything.”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t,” Harry said darkly.

“So why do I then?” Hermione despaired.

“Because you have terrible taste in men?”

“Harry!” Hermione groaned, “That is not helpful!”

“Seriously Hermione. You are brilliant, and I don’t think Malfoy deserves you,” Harry said sincerely, “It’s your life and I don’t want to tell you how to live it but if you were to date Malfoy…I would not be happy about it.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “Because he’s a Slytherin? Like Daphne you mean? That’s not at all hypocritical.”

“No, because he’s an ex Death Eater who stood by and watched his Aunt etch the word Mudblood into your arm,” Harry said darkly, “That’s why!”

“Well I will not let you decide how I live my life! If I’m over that then you sure as hell should be too!”

“You just said you didn’t like the guy!”

“Well maybe I lied!” Hermione snapped, before storming off.

***

When Harry stormed into his office that afternoon, Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “Why are you in such a bad mood? Our girl won the task and classes are cancelled for the rest of the day.”

“Hermione likes Malfoy,” Harry fumed, “Can you believe that? He kissed her, and she _likes _him.”

Daphne looked at him pointedly, “Okay, if she is really just your friend, you should not be this angry about that.”

“I’m not angry because I’m secretly in love with her, I’m angry because it’s Malfoy!” Harry snapped, “I mean how can she like the guy who made her cry for years because he bullied her? How can she like the guy who stood by and watched his Aunt torture her? How can she like him? And how can I stand by and let her do that?”

“Okay, first things first,” Daphne said firmly, “You stand by and let her do whatever she wants because it’s her life and it’s not your place to decide what she can or can’t do with it, even if you do disagree with her choices. Secondly, how she can like him after all of that is something that only she knows.”

Harry sighed and sat down, “Of all the people, I imagined Hermione ending up with….Draco Malfoy was not one of them.”

“Really? I mean have you met Sorenson Cauldwell who she dated for how long?”

“2 years,” Harry replied.

“I know Sorenson, I shared a dorm with his little sister Sadie,” Daphne reminded Harry, “And Sorenson is so much like Draco, it’s uncanny. Granted, he doesn’t have the whole abusive Father, ex-Death Eater, tragic back story but apart from that, the list of similarities is endless.”

Harry looked up and frowned, “Abusive Father?”

“Yeah,” Daphne sighed, “Do you remember how Draco was terrified to do that charm with the boggart back in 3rd year?”

Harry nodded.

“He was terrified that everybody would find out that his greatest fear was his own Father,” Daphne told Harry, “Lucius was a horrible man to both Draco and his Mother.”

“If he was so horrible, why was Narcissa not happy to be rid of him when it was all over?” Harry asked in confusion, “Why did she kill herself?”

“The suicide note was never released, but she killed herself out of guilt,” Daphne said quietly, “For everything she had done in the war and for the person she feared she had let her son become. That was why Draco upped sticks and left, he needed a fresh start where he could find himself without all of the baggage here.”

“Shit,” Harry muttered.

“And I really shouldn’t have told you any of that because it’s not my story to tell but I hope it can help you make sense of why Hermione likes him, or what she might see in him,” Daphne added.

Harry nodded, “Yeah…she always has been attracted to a tragic hero.”

“Explains why she pined after you in school,” Daphne joked.

Harry looked up in surprise, “Me? No, it was always Ron she had a thing for.”

“Oh later on maybe, but up to about 4th year, it was you,” Daphne said, “Could you honestly not see that?”

“No,” Harry said honestly, he frowned at the very idea.

“Anyway, Lacey won the bloody task, let’s celebrate instead of being miserable alright?”

“Alright,” Harry agreed, letting her pull him to his feet.

***

The night after the first task, Hermione was heading up to the castle having had one of her enlightening chats with Neville in the greenhouses. This time he had told her to stop being a pussy and just go out with Draco if that was what she wanted.

The trouble was, she wasn’t sure that it was what she wanted. She sighed heavily to herself as she neared his boat, she paused for a moment by the gangway but kept walking. Hermione would have headed all the way up to the castle, but she stopped when she heard voices.

“What the hell happened out there today Agmund?” Draco asked, but not in an angry tone of voice like she would expect.

“I don’t know sir,” Agmund replied quietly, “I just heard the judges say the faster the better, so I wanted to put a good time in.”

Draco sighed, “So your nerves got the best of you? Now that makes sense because some of the things you did out there today were stupid Agmund and that isn’t like you.”

“I’m sorry sir.”

“It’s alright, but you need to understand that this is not a Quidditch try out or a duel. It’s not all about speed and showing off, it’s about stopping, taking a breath and using your brain,” Draco said gently, “I know it’s hard, coming to a foreign place so far away from home. You don’t have many friends here, you don’t know the place too well and it’s scary.”

Hermione edged closer and saw them sitting on the banks of the lake talking.

Agmund nodded.

“I was in your shoes about 5 years ago when I moved to Durmstrang,” Draco said honestly, “I had never been there and I didn’t know a single person. My Mother had just passed away and I was a very sad person, but I overcame my fears. I made friends, I put the past behind me and although it was hard at first, I was happy in the end.”

“Do you ever think about coming home sir?” Agmund asked.

“All the time Agmund,” Draco said honestly as he stared out over the lake, “I miss a lot about this place.”

Hermione knew she should stop eavesdropping but she was captivated. She had seen the sarcastic, smirking, smug side of Draco Malfoy but she had never seen this caring side of him before. She had never even known that this side of Draco Malfoy existed.

“I’m sorry that I let you down sir,” Agmund said after a short silence.

“You let yourself down Agmund,” Draco said gently, “And we both know, that is worse than letting anyone down. You are better than the way you acted out there, you can’t freeze up like that next time and you definitely cannot answer back.”

“I let my temper get the better of me,” Agmund sighed, “I don’t do that when Erika is around.”

“Then you keep writing to that girl and keep her around,” Draco advised, “A girl that can keep you grounded is a good one.”

Agmund threw a pebble into the lake, “Did you leave a girl behind back here when you moved out to Durmstrang sir?”

“Not exactly,” Draco said, he absentmindedly skimmed a rock along the lake, “But I did leave without telling a pretty important one how I felt about her. I’m trying to fix that while I’m back.”

“I hope it works for you sir,” Agmund said, he got to his feet and Hermione performed a silent charm to disguise herself, “I’m going to go write to Erika.”

“Alright, get some sleep Agmund. You will be up early for training in the morning,” Draco said.

“Yes sir,” Agmund said as he headed up the gangway onto the ship.

Hermione held her breath as Draco walked past her. He paused for a moment and frowned, but then he kept walking.

Once he was on the ship, out of eye and earshot, she breathed out of a sigh of relief and darted up to the castle.

***

_Knock. Knock._

Daphne opened the door of Harry’s office in her casual clothes, to find Susan Bones standing outside.

“Oh hi Susan,” Daphne said politely, “Did you need to talk to Harry about the tournament?”

Susan frowned at her, “What is the Potions Mistress doing all the way up here?”

“Oh well Harry and I are sort of…” She trailed off, unsure if Harry would be angry if she told Susan the truth.

Luckily, Harry appeared at the top of the staircase from his bedroom at that point, “Dating,” he said.

Susan looked up at him.

“Daphne is my girlfriend, I think that gives her the right to be in my office at half 11 at night,” Harry said. He reached the door and kissed Daphne on the cheek, “Go up to bed, I’ll be up once I’ve found out what Susan wants.”

“Alright,” Daphne said, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Harry said with ease.

Daphne disappeared up the stairs and Susan stepped into the office, “Well, that was a nice show.”

“It wasn’t a show,” Harry said coolly, “Now what are you doing here at this time of night?”

“I just wanted to talk to you after today…” Susan said, “I saw how concerned you were for the Hogwarts champion.”

“And? What does that matter to you?” Harry asked.

“I suppose I just wondered why you have such an affinity with her,” Susan admitted.

Harry sighed, “Sit down Susan. If you’re here, we might as well clear the air properly.”

Susan sat down on the sofa in his office and Harry pushed himself onto the desk, “Not that it’s any of your business but if you must know, I see myself in Lacey in a lot of ways. I suppose I see her as…well as how any child of ours might have been, had things been different.”

“You thought that far ahead?” Susan asked in surprise.

Harry looked up with a frown, “Yeah…why would you think that I didn’t?”

Susan shrugged and shook her head, “I don’t know. I just always thought you were lingering, you know holding something back?”

“Susan, I had an engagement ring hidden underneath the floorboard in our spare room when you left,” Harry said, his voice broke slightly, “I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. You were the one who wasn’t sure if you wanted that.”

Susan sighed, “I’m sorry Harry. The longer I’m here, the more I realise how big a mistake I made.”

“Well it’s a bit too late for that now,” Harry said honestly, “If you had hit me with that a few months ago, I probably would have given you a second chance but I’m happy Susan. I am really happy with Daphne, so if you came here to beg for forgiveness or win me back, it was a pointless trip I’m sorry.”

“You really don’t feel anything for me anymore?” Susan asked, hurt tinged her voice.

“I don’t and even if I did,” Harry said, “I couldn’t go through all of that with you again.”

Susan frowned, “Why not?”

“Because you broke my heart the first time,” Harry said, “It took me a long time to get over that and I would never put myself through that again.”

“But-”

“Stop,” Harry said sharply, “Just stop. I’ve finally started to get over you, don’t ruin my life a second time around.”

This seemed to do the trick, hurt flashed through Susan’s eyes and she darted out of the office. Harry sighed and turned around, expecting to see Daphne lingering on the staircase.

“Did you mean what you said?” Daphne asked.

“What part of it?”

“The part about loving me and being over her,” Daphne said quietly.

“Every word of it,” Harry promised. He climbed the staircase and took her hand, “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

***

Hermione felt irrationally nervous when she purposefully caught up with Draco after dinner, the evening following the first task.

“On your way to the greenhouse Granger?”

“No, I was on my way to you actually, to your boat I mean,” Hermione corrected, mentally kicking herself.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her, “Why would that be?”

Hermione fell into line with him, “The thing is Draco. I’ve sort of been ignoring you since yesterday morning.”

“I noticed that,” Draco said smoothly.

“In my defence, I had a good reason,” Hermione said. They came to a stop at the gangway of the boat.

“Do you want to explain it out here in the cold or in the cabin?” Draco asked.

“Inside,” Hermione replied, before she could back out.

They walked up the gangway onto the ship together and Draco led her to his very nice, very private cabin at the other end of the ship from the Durmstrang pupils. Once they were inside, Draco sat down on the edge of a desk and looked at her expectantly.

“The thing is,” Hermione began, “My head has been telling me that I should hate you, because logically I should. You bullied and belittled me, you were on the opposite side during the war and you stood there and did nothing throughout one of the most traumatising things that has ever happened to me.”

Draco swallowed and looked away from her.

“But despite all that, when you kiss me I just…” Hermione trailed off, “And it has been confusing me.”

Draco smiled slightly, “So what you are in fact saying Granger, is for the first time ever. I’m nudging your intelligent, logical self into the direction of choosing your heart over your head.”

“Yes!” Hermione exclaimed, “And I figured there would be someone to do that one day, but I never in a million years imagined it would be you.”

“And while I was at Hogwarts, being forced to become the person my Father wanted me to be, I figured I would maybe meet a girl who I would kind of like to date,” Draco reiterated, “But I never in a million years thought it would be the girl who stood for everything my Father hated.”

Hermione looked up and bit her lip, “I won’t lie to you Draco, the reason that this has just come out of the blue is that I sort of accidentally eavesdropped on you yesterday-”

“I know.”

“What?”

Draco smiled, “Hermione, your perfume has a very distinctive smell, or at least it does to me anyway. I’ve been smelling it ever since that stupid Amortentia class in 6th year. I knew you were there, but I figured you would come to me in your own time and low and behold, here you are.”

“Here I am,” Hermione agreed. She looked up and caught his eye.

In less than a second, or so it felt to Hermione anyway, they came crashing together.

***

When Draco and Hermione both skipped breakfast the following morning, Harry cottoned on to what had happened relatively quickly which led to a very irritated, whispered conversation between himself and Daphne in her classroom that morning.

“Harry, who cares if she slept with Draco? I thought we had gone over this!”

“We did, but-”

“No buts!” Daphne exclaimed, “It’s not your life, it’s hers! If you think she’s making a mistake, tell her that but she won’t listen to you.”

Harry sighed, “But it’s Malfoy. It’s Hermione and _Malfoy_.”

“Did you ever think you’d end up dating me?” Daphne quipped, “Daphne Greengrass, the Slytherin Ice Queen. Isn’t that what all you Gryffindors called me?”

“Well…yes,” Harry said reluctantly, “But it’s not the same thing.”

“It is and you know it,” Daphne said with a note of finality, “Now if you don’t drop this whole issue right now, I’m going to start getting pissed off because on more than one occasion I’ve wondered if you and Hermione are a bit too close, if you catch my drift?”

“I do,” Harry said, so reluctantly, he dropped the subject and headed off to teach his 1st year DADA class.

***

“We really shouldn’t have skipped breakfast,” Hermione said as she rolled over into Draco’s embrace.

Draco hummed, “Is that because you’re hungry or you know that your best friend will have worked out why neither of us are there?”

“The latter,” Hermione said, she bit her lip, “He’s protective.”

“I noticed that when he threatened me away from you,” Draco remarked.

Hermione looked up at him sharply, “You realise that he could do some serious damage to you right?”

Draco scoffed, “He might be the chosen one, but I could hold my own against him in a duel if it came to that. I don’t see why it should have to though. It’s not like he has any claim to you.”

Hermione frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Frankly, the way he acts sometimes, it’s like he likes you as more than a friend,” Draco pointed out.

Hermione shook her head, “No, Harry and I have never been anything more than friends. When we were younger, sometimes I wished that we could be but we’ve been friends too long now. His problem isn’t with me dating exactly, he was happy enough when I was with Sorenson. His problem is with me dating you.”

“Sorenson?” Draco asked in surprise, “Sorenson Cauldwell?”

Hermione looked up at him sheepishly, “You know him?”

“Sadie, his sister, she was a Slytherin in our year,” Draco said with a nod, “I knew him well enough. Isn’t he a bit older than us?”

“Only a couple of years,” Hermione said, “I knew Sadie too, I talked to her in the library sometimes but I met Sorenson through Harry. They were Auror partners, before everything went south.”

“Did you date him for long?” Draco asked curiously.

“2 years,” Hermione replied, “It was the longest relationship that I ever had. I was talking to Harry about it the other day and I sort of realised that Sorenson and you are very alike.”

“Are you saying you fell in love with him because you secretly had a thing for me in school?” Draco grinned.

“Maybe,” Hermione admitted reluctantly, “But if I did, I didn’t realise it at the time. I genuinely thought you were an arsehole, I wasn’t harbouring some secret love for you.”

“Shame,” Draco said, “I was definitely harbouring some secret admiration for you… I always thought you would end up with Potter though. It’s actually kind of why I hated him so much.”

“Wow,” Hermione said with a shake of her head. She chuckled, “Definitely never tell Harry that or he really won’t let you date me.”

“Are we dating then?” Draco asked, a slither of hope making its way into his voice.

Hermione bit her lip.

“You’re sexy when you do that.”

“Draco,” Hermione said, torn between blushing and laughing.

Draco just kissed her, “Every time I see you do that, I want to kiss you.”

“Well please don’t do it in the great hall,” Hermione said with a smile, “Dating or not,” she added as she got to her feet.

“Where are you going?”

“I have a job to do, remember?” Hermione said, “I can’t just lie around in a boat all day. I have a Yule Ball to plan.”

“Hmm,.” Draco mused. He was silent as he watched her get dressed.

When she reached out for the door handle, he said, “You never answered the question.”

Hermione paused. It was make or break time, she either ran away and let things go back to the way they had been before or she took a huge leap of faith and told Draco what he wanted to hear. She turned the door knob, opened the door and took a step out of it, ready to run without saying a word.

Then she turned around, looked him in the eye and said, “Yes Draco, we’re dating.”

The smile that lit up his face made it worth it. He jumped out of bed, kissed her lightly on the lips and said, “See you later.”

Hermione smiled back, “See you later,” she promised.

***

“Hermione, I want a word with you now.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped into a secret passageway off of the grand staircase, “Yes Harry?”

“I can only deduce from the fact neither of you showed face at breakfast this morning, that you slept in Malfoy’s boat last night,” Harry said.

Hermione frowned at him, “My love life is none of your business Harry.”

“Isn’t it? You’ve made it clear you don’t like Susan since we broke up,” Harry said harshly, “And I’m pretty sure you aren’t keen on Daphne either. Am I not allowed to dislike Malfoy for what he did to you?”

“You don’t think I like Daphne?” Hermione asked in disbelief, “Harry, I talk to Daphne on a regular basis at meal times. I’ve helped her with a couple of bloody amortentia classes too, why on earth would you think that I don’t like her? I didn’t like how unprofessional you were being with her at the beginning, but it’s not like that now. As for disliking Draco, I’m over everything Draco did so it’s really none of your concern.”

“I just didn’t think you were the type to have flings-”

“You didn’t think _I _was the type? No, I suppose you were though, for a really bloody long time!” Hermione exclaimed, “And for your information, it wasn’t a fling. It’s been an ongoing thing pretty much since he got back and I’m actually dating him. If you don’t like that, that’s fine, but it’s my life and it’s my choice. You are my best friend, but you don’t get to decide how I live my life.”

“I’m sorry Hermione, I’m not trying to butt my way into your life, but I really do think you are making a mistake,” Harry said, “I know you think I’m being a hypocrite, because I’m dating someone who was a Slytherin too but it really isn’t the same thing. We had absolutely zero interaction with Daphne before I started working here, but we both have a hell of a lot of history with Draco Malfoy and I just can’t see how he could make you happy after all that he did to you.”

“Well funnily enough Harry, you are not all knowing and ever since Susan walked out on you, frankly it’s the only time in your life I could have called you selfish,” Hermione said coolly, “You literally did not give a shit about anyone else for a long time so you can’t just switch on your caring side again now that you’re happy and expect me to do whatever you say. Maybe I am making a mistake, but you don’t get to decide that for me.”

Harry shook his head and scoffed, “You know what? Fine! Go and make your mistake, let him break your heart just like every other loser you’ve dated has broken your heart. Every time I tell you that you can do better, and every time you think you know better than me. But I’m always the one picking up the pieces when they inevitably break your heart so do you know what? I won’t be doing that this time!”

“Fine,” Hermione said quietly, “I never asked you to anyway. I always thought maybe you did it because underneath the whole best friend thing, you cared a little more deeply for me than that but clearly I misread the signs. I realised the other day Harry that I spent a long time dating people who reminded me of you because everyone was right, I was pining after you like a pathetic little girl so for once, maybe I want to be with someone who is the complete opposite of you and ironically enough, you don’t seem to be able to handle that.”

“Maybe ironically enough, I’ve had feelings for you in the past, but you were too busy dating some other loser,” Harry said irritably, “So I never thought that I was good enough for the great Hermione Granger. You always wound me up for not being as smart as Ernie, not as fast as Sorenson so I figured that I never stood a chance with you as anything more than friends. I thought maybe if I had just made a move that night in the tent during the war, things would have been different, but I didn’t have the guts to do that to Ron back then so I just let you carry on dating idiots who weren’t good enough for you.”

They stood in the dark passageway and looked at each other for a long moment. What did you say to someone after you made a confession like that?

“Look Harry, you will always be one of my best friends, probably my best friend,” Hermione said, unable to look him in the eye, “But I think me being here all the time this year is too much. I think we both need a little bit of time away from each other.”

Harry nodded, he didn’t look up either though, “You will always be my best friend Hermione, and in a way I’m glad we never dated because you’re about the only family I have. But I think we both need some time to come to terms with…tonight.”

Hermione sighed and reached out for the tapestry, “I’ll stay until the Yule Ball, but I’ll keep my distance. After that, I think I’ll head back to the ministry for a while.”

“Alright,” Harry said simply.

And that was that, Hermione slipped out of the secret passageway and headed straight for Draco’s ship. If she was keeping her distance, then that meant spending some time out of the castle that Harry inhabited. 


	10. Find Comfort in Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from the lyrics of the James Blunt song "Tears and Rain".

“I know we’re keeping our distance, but I need to discuss the Yule Ball with you tonight,” Hermione said to Harry at dinner the following evening. She hadn’t shown up for breakfast or lunch, and neither had Draco.

Harry nodded, “I have Lacey coming by to discuss the 1st task but feel free to come over after that.”

“Alright, I’ve got some paperwork,” Hermione said, “So I’ll probably come by around 10.”

“No problem,” Harry said stiffly.

Hermione sighed, she hated things being this awkward with Harry but it was no surprise given the conversation they’d had the previous day.

***

While Harry and Daphne headed up to the Headmasters tower the following night, Daphne asked, “Why are you and Hermione acting so weird? What’s going on with you two?”

Harry sighed and glanced around to make sure that they were alone, “That’s kind of a long story,” he admitted.

They reached the gargoyle and it jumped away so that they could ascend the stairs to his office.

“I have plenty of time, so go on,” Daphne said, dropping down onto the sofa in his office.

“Hermione and I had an argument last night that turned into a frank conversation,” Harry admitted.

Daphne’s eyes narrowed, “Oh Merlin, please don’t tell me you’re in love with her.”

“Quite the opposite actually,” Harry sighed, “We basically both admitted that we have had feelings for each other in the past but hadn’t acted on them for various reasons. I warned her against dating Malfoy and she refused to listen so I just need a little bit of time away from her right now. She’s my best friend and I can’t stand to watch her make another mistake and be with another guy who is going to screw her over.”

Daphne cocked her head at him, “Well, I suppose I knew that was going to have to happen at some point. Like I’ve said in the past, I always thought you were just a little too close for there really to be nothing there.”

Harry rubbed his eyes and sat down next to her, “Yeah, you were right.”

“And I can see your point, regarding Draco,” Daphne promised him, “He hurt her and you can’t understand how she can see past that. To be honest, I’m not sure how she can either but that’s her choice to make.”

“Her mistake to make,” Harry corrected, “I won’t be the one that picks up the pieces when this relationship goes sour, just like the rest have.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Daphne said diplomatically, “Yes, a guy and a girl can be best friends but sometimes when they are as close as you and Hermione, it can be intimidating for the other person in the relationship. I think putting a bit of distance between the two of you is a good thing.”

Harry nodded once more, “She’s coming over here to discuss the Yule Ball once I’ve talked with Lacey. Will you stay nearby, in case it gets awkward again?”

“Of course I will,” Daphne promised.

***

“Is this your idea of paperwork?”

“It’s definitely work,” Hermione said breathily.

Draco laughed, “Why didn’t you just tell him the truth?”

“Because we just had the biggest fight of our friendship about you,” Hermione said, falling against the pillows of his incredibly comfortable bed, “I couldn’t just say, sure thing Harry, I’m off to screw Draco on his boat anyway.”

Draco grinned, “Oh, I wish you had.”

“Of course you do,” Hermione mumbled against his lips.

“He hasn’t tried to curse me yet,” Draco said, kissing her neck.

“Yet being the operative word there,” Hermione mumbled.

Draco hummed thoughtfully against her skin, sending shivers down her spine, “Do you think we can stop talking about Potter now?”

“Yeah, yeah I think that’s a great idea.”

***

_Knock, knock._

“Come in,” Harry called as he put his marking to one side.

Lacey walked in smiling and sat down across from him, “Hello Sir.”

“Well done on the 1st task,” Harry said as he grinned proudly, “Best score, and the fastest time.”

“Thanks Professor Potter,” Lacey beamed.

“I was watching you carefully, but I’ve only got a few things for you to improve on for the next one,” Harry said honestly, “I like the way you dealt with the creatures, but you’ve got to be aware that you won’t always be able to get through without hurting anything.”

“Are you saying killing is right?” Lacey asked with a frown.

“Not necessarily,’ Harry replied, “But you _are _a Slytherin, sometimes you need to be a little more forceful.”

“Have you ever killed anyone sir?” Lacey asked in a small voice, “Apart from Voldemort I mean.”

Harry frowned, he wasn’t sure that Lacey’s question was appropriate, but then when he was a student he knew he had probably asked Dumbledore worse, like what he saw in the Mirror of Erised.

“Directly, no,” Harry replied somewhat cryptically.

“What do you mean? How can you indirectly kill someone?” Lacey asked with a frown.

“All actions have consequences,” Harry said, feeling very like Dumbledore as he then changed the subject swiftly, “How are you finding the clue?”

Lacey knew when she could push her boundaries and when to keep her mouth shut, so she didn’t ask any more questions, “I’ve not looked at it in much detail yet,” she admitted sheepishly.

“What do you know about it?” Harry asked as he leant back in his chair.

“Well, it’s a map,” Lacey said as she took it from her pocket and lay it out on the desk.

“Very clever,” Harry said, Lacey was almost as sarcastic as he was.

“These are runes,” Lacey said pointing to four words around the edges of the hexagon shaped map, “But not any that I recognise.”

“What are the symbols?” Harry asked with a frown. The map was a hexagon with a squiggly area in the middle and the four runic words around the edge. There was an oval shape in the middle of the squiggle and four shapes with a ruin atop them, then there were several smaller shapes.

“I think that the ruin on each symbol refers to one of the 4 words, once I translate the words I think it will give me a clue as to what each symbol means,” Lacey said, and not for the first time Harry felt inferior in comparison with his students.

“How do you know it’s a map?” Harry asked, really just wondering if he could ask her a question that she didn’t know the answer too.

“The ‘X’ there,” She said, pointing to an ‘X’ at what could have been the top, bottom, or side of the map, “I’m not sure what it means yet.”

“Maybe you’ll find buried treasure,” Harry said as he handed the map back to her, “If you want any more information on that clue you’re going to have to translate those runes and try and locate North on that map of yours.”

Lacey nodded and put it back in her pocket, “Sir,” she said carefully, “Can I ask you a question?”

Harry was reminded painfully of the memory of Tom Riddle asking Professor Slughorn about horcruxes.

“Of course,” Harry replied, pushing down the unhealthy thoughts about the war.

Lacey was biting her lip, she was obviously nervous, “I know you had a big part in the war, and…well, I didn’t really know my Father, but I know he died in the final battle. I was only 11 so my brother wouldn’t let me go to the funeral.”

Harry took a breath to speak, but Lacey continued very quickly, “And I wondered if you knew anything about how he died?”

Harry surveyed the anxious girl for a moment, “You know what he was, don’t you?” he asked, his tone as neutral as he could make it.

Lacey nodded and looked down in shame, “I know he was one of…his…followers,” she admitted, “And I know he wasn’t a good person sir, but he was my Father and no one will tell me how he died.”

Harry sympathised a lot with Lacey, she was an orphan, just like he had been in his school days, she was a victim of war just like him, only she was a victim of the second wizarding war rather than the first. He knew how her Father died, but he wasn’t sure whether he should tell her or not.

“Are you sure you’re ready to know?” Harry asked the girl, “Once you know you can’t erase it.”

Lacey nodded, she looked down once more, “Did it help sir? Knowing how your parents died?”

“Nothing helped,” Harry said honestly, “But it gave me something to fight for.”

“Then I want something to fight for,” Lacey said and after surveying her for a moment Harry nodded.

“Your Father was killed by an Auror,” Harry said, making sure not to break eye contact with Lacey, “He died quickly, it was the killing curse.”

“Why?” Lacey asked, “Was it because of what he stood for?”

“In part, I believe it was,” Harry replied gently, “But he was killed shortly after he had murdered a boy called Colin Creevey, he was 16 years old.”

The tears forming in Lacey’s eyes spilled and Harry was at a loss for what to do.

“How could someone with children do that?” Lacey asked, shaking her head, “Kill someone who was practically the same age as his son?”

Not really knowing what to do Harry moved around the desk and put an arm around Lacey, “I don’t agree with what your Father did or believed in Lacey, but he died fighting for what he believed in, and whether that belief was right or wrong it still stands true.”

Lacey wiped her tears and nodded, “I’m sorry Professor Potter,” she said shakily, “I thought I was old enough to handle it.”

“Hearing how someone you loved died is never easy, no matter how old you are,” Harry said gently to the girl.

“Thanks for being the one to tell me Professor Potter,” Lacey said as she got to her feet, “Nobody would tell me, and I appreciate that you didn’t make it seem any nicer than it was.”

“The truth is a powerful thing,” Harry said as he too got to his feet, “Now get along, and no sneaking around the castle tonight.”

“Yes sir,” Lacey said with a watery smile and with that she left his office.

The moment she was gone Harry snapped, he had never realised how much of an effect the war had on the children of death eaters. They had been orphaned, they had lost parents, or family members too, yet nobody thought about them, did they?

He picked up one of his ornaments and threw it at the wall, “Why does nobody care about them?” he asked bitterly as he picked up another and threw it harder, “They suffered too! THEY WENT THROUGH-” another ornament, “JUST AS MUCH PAIN-” a china vase, “AS EVERYONE ELSE!” a book, “BUT NOBODY THINKS ABOUT THEM! BECAUSE THEY HAD DEATH EATERS FOR PARENTS!”

Harry pulled out his secret bottle of firewhiskey from a hidden compartment in his desk and swigged heavily from it, sometimes this happened, he couldn’t control his anger about the war and he had no choice but to let it all out.

“Harry, what on earth is going on?” Daphne asked, slipping out of the bedroom in a silk dressing gown.

“WELL THEY SHOULD CARE DAPHNE! PEOPLE SHOULD FUCKING CARE!” Harry yelled as he smashed up every piece of ornate anything he could reach, “BECAUSE THEY ARE PEOPLE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!” he was storming around the room, “PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR FAMILIES! PEOPLE SHOULD CARE!”

“Harry, for heaven’s sake be careful!”

With his last shout Harry stood on a piece of smashed china and slipped at an odd angle. He landed face first on the floor and was well aware of lots of pieces of china and metal cutting and slicing and poking into his skin, but he had done something to his back in the fall, and he couldn’t move an inch. He was completely paralysed from his mid-torso down, and to make matters worse his wand was on his desk which was well out of reach.

“Daphne,” Harry moaned as she dashed down the stairs in a panic.

He couldn’t move, “Daphne!” he groaned as a searing pain rushed through his back.

“DAPHNE!”

*******

The sight from the balcony had been terrifying. From the moment he fell, blood had begun to pool around Harry. Daphne dashed down the stairs, across the china and metal strewn across the floor and shouted, “Harry!”

“Daphne,” Harry groaned quietly.

“Wingardium Leviosa,” Daphne said, “You are such an idiot! What do you think you were doing? Trashing your bloody office!” She ranted as she moved Harry to the bedroom.

“Sorry,” Harry said groggily.

“What on earth was so bloody important?” Daphne fumed as she stripped him down to his underwear with a flick of her wand.

“Lacey,” Harry said quietly.

Daphne scanned his injuries. They were mostly small cuts and scratches but then there was one more serious injury, a shard of metal in his leg.

“I’m starting to think you have an unnatural affinity with this girl,” Daphne muttered irritably, “Does it hurt?” she asked, gently prodding the worst wound on his leg.

Harry shook his head, struggling to keep his eyes open, “Can’t feel it.”

“You can’t feel it at all?” Daphne asked sharply.

Harry shook his head once more. She sighed and removed the shard then cleaned and sealed the wound. She then healed all of the smaller cuts on his legs, chest and face.

“Harry, did you hit your back when you fell?” Daphne asked urgently as she turned him over, she was trying not to panic but she was relatively sure that she was failing.

“I think I twisted it,” Harry groaned.

Daphne cursed under her breath, “I need to get Hermione, I don’t know how to do that charm of hers.”

She ran down the stairs, across the wrecked office and tried to floo Hermione’s office but there was no answer.

“Shit,” Daphne muttered. Hermione was obviously on the boat with Draco which meant that there was no easy way to contact her. She had to cast her mind back to messenger patronuses, something that they had learned about briefly in 7th year, but she was unsure if it was something that she was actually capable of doing.

***

_“Harry’s hurt. I need your help, I don’t know how to perform that charm on his back!” _

The moment the patronus delivered the message, Hermione flung some clothes on and dashed out of the cabin before Draco could say anything to her.

She practically ran to Harry’s office, so much so that by the time she got there, she was sweating and breathing heavily. When she walked into the office, Daphne glared at her, “What took you so long?”

“I came as soon as I got your message,” Hermione said shortly.

“You would have gotten here sooner if you were in your quarters doing paperwork like you told Harry, rather than sleeping with Draco on his ship!” Daphne said angrily.

“Well do you know what? I’m not Harry’s nurse!” Hermione fumed, “And I won’t spend the rest of my life acting like his skivvy just because he’s too scared to go to hospital for his treatments! You’re his girlfriend, you can learn how to do it, just like Susan should have done. I have my own life!”

“And I will happily learn how to do it Hermione, but right now he needs help and you are the only one who can help him,” Daphne said harshly.

Hermione said nothing more as she made her way up the staircase. She took a breath and sat down at the edge of his bed, “This is going to hurt.”

“Is it?” Harry asked dryly, “Because I can’t feel anything below the waist so…”

“Then you better hope to hell that this does hurt,” Hermione said, “Because if it doesn’t, that means the paralysis is permanent.”

Harry had never hoped for pain so much in his life. He was actually glad when the charm penetrated his skin and he screamed in agony.

Hermione shut her eyes and heard Daphne breathe a sigh of relief behind her. Despite her anger, she remained calm and slowed her heartbeat down while performing the spell. Harry didn’t say anything, but he gripped the pillow tightly and reached out for Daphne’s hand.

When Hermione’s wand vibrated as the warning, she ended the spell and watched Harry deflate.

“How does it feel?” Hermione asked quietly.

“Fucking painful,” Harry replied.

“Pain is better than not being able to feel your legs ever again,” Hermione pointed out, “What stupid thing did you do this time to end up in so much pain?”

“Got angry about the fact that nobody cares about the kids of Death Eaters even though they are victims too,” Harry said honestly as he got to his feet and pulled a dressing gown on.

Hermione shook her head, “Keep going this way and you will be back in hospital sooner than you would like.”

“Look, I need to tell you something about that,” Harry admitted, “I know you thought I told you everything at the hospital after the attack but I didn’t. There was one thing I didn’t tell anyone for a long time, until Daphne coerced it out of me.”

Hermione frowned, “Go on?”

“The healers said that treatment would give me some time, but that eventually the injury would be bad enough to paralyse me from the waist down,” Harry said bitterly, “There’s a shard of metal in my back, they can’t get it out because it’s too close to my spine but it’s gradually moving and eventually, it’s going to paralyse me. I had hoped Susan and I would be able to have children before…” he trailed off and sighed, “But that won’t happen anymore. I don’t have time. The healers said in 5 to 10 years it would happen, and it’s been 4 years.”

Hermione nodded, still stunned by the news, “And is that the first time it’s happened?”

Harry nodded.

“You are such an idiot,” Daphne said, glaring at him.

“Daphne, I’m sorry-”

“No, you don’t get to say sorry and expect it to be okay!” Daphne snapped, “You didn’t think about yourself at all, you just let your stupid Gryffindor temper get the better of you! Well maybe you ought to think about me because while I’m all in, regardless of your injury, I would quite like a normal life with you Harry and you aren’t exactly helping yourself by doing stupid things all the time!”

Many people would have taken her anger as just that, but Hermione could hear her voice cracking and Harry could see the tears that she was holding back. She was angry, but she was upset too.

“I’m sorry Daphne,” Harry said sincerely, “I was being selfish, you’re right and I understand if you want to cut your losses and run-”

“No,” Daphne said firmly, “It doesn’t change anything, paralysed or not Harry.”

“But-”

“It doesn’t change _anything_,” Daphne said more firmly, she sat down on the edge of the bed, “But you do need to start taking things a bit easier Harry. I know that this isn’t what you want to hear, but I think maybe you need to give up duelling club?”

Harry sighed and nodded, “I’ll hand it over to Neville.”

“And,” Daphne began, she caught his eye, “Maybe after this term, you ought to find a new DADA teacher?”

“I will consider it,” Harry promised.

Daphne nodded and squeezed his hand, “We’ll work it out, one way or another okay?”

“Okay,” Harry said.

Hermione smiled somewhat sadly at the exchange. Seeing Harry so happy again was a blessing and a curse, she just prayed that Daphne wouldn’t hurt him like Susan had.

“I’m going to talk to Ginny,” Hermione said, “She’s working on a clinical trial for paralysis patients, and I’ll see if I can get you on it.”

“Thanks,” Harry mumbled sleepily.

“I think it might be best to let him get some sleep,” Daphne said, “But thank you Hermione and I’m sorry for losing my temper at you. The sooner you can teach me that spell the better, than Harry won’t have to be a burden for you anymore.”

Hermione’s face fell, “Daphne, I didn’t mean it like-”

“I heard what you said Hermione,” Harry said quietly, “That was exactly how you meant it.”

Hermione looked a little crestfallen, but before she could say anything else, Harry said, “I am tired so…”

She nodded and left the office without another word.

***

When Hermione stepped into the grounds, her eyes were little red and bloodshot. She breathed in the cold, winter air and set off across the grounds. When she reached the lake, she saw a shadowy figure waiting for her.

“Is everything okay?” Draco asked, draping his warm, winter cloak over her shoulders.

Hermione shook her head, “I’m the world’s worst best friend,” she said tearfully.

“Okay…explain.”

“Harry’s got a really bad back injury, that’s why he’s not an Auror anymore and his treatment is this spell but he’s scared of hospitals so I had to learn the spell,” Hermione said as she fought to fight back tears, “And I’m fed up of being the only person who can help him and he slipped in his office tonight and hurt his back really badly but Daphne bitched at me for being with you and not in my office like I said and I lost my temper and said that I wasn’t his damned nurse and-” she gasped for a breath, “And Harry heard me so he basically told me to leave and I feel awful. I used to be the person who he turned to, even when he was with Susan, I was the one who was there for him during his treatments but now he doesn’t even want me in the room and Daphne wants me to teach her how to do it.”

When she finished, she burst into tears.

“Alright,” Draco said slowly, “That is a lot to take in…and I know it feels horrible right now, but I think you two might actually need this. You seem so reliant on each other, I mean I’ve been out of the country for 5 years and you two seem the same way now as you were when I left.”

Hermione sniffled.

“You two are so wrapped up in each other, how are you ever supposed to live your own lives?” Draco asked, “I mean think about it, what do you do to relax?”

“Drink wine with Harry,” Hermione replied.

Draco performed a drying charm on a rock by the lake and sat her down on it. He perched next to her, “What else?”

Hermione frowned, “Uh…I don’t really have anything else. I suppose that was why I dated so much, to fill the gaps but nothing ever worked.”

“Well I won’t lie, some of the guys you dated were idiots so I’m not really surprised,” Draco admitted.

“Stop it,” Hermione sniffled, “You sound like Harry, but he thinks you’re one of those idiots. He thinks dating you is a mistake.”

“This is what I mean, you are so wrapped up in each other that I’m not sure you know how to make your own decisions anymore,” Draco said, “What do you think about me? The good and the bad?”

“I really like who you are now,” Hermione said honestly, “But I will never truly be able to forget everything that happened between us in the past or what happened during the war.”

She looked up and caught his eye, “But unlike Harry, I do believe that people can change and the truth of the matter is that I would have fallen in love with you instantly if I had met you with none of that baggage attached. If we could have met for the first time this year, I would not have any qualms with dating you.”

“But you can’t erase that baggage,” Draco said, “And there is a hell of a lot of it.”

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Draco stopped her, “No, let me finish. I really like you Hermione and I’m not just saying this. Call me arrogant, but there are very few people who I consider to be an intellectual match for me and you are one of them. I want to take the time to actually get to know you, because how much we think we actually know each other is based on what we saw of each other at school and the person you saw, wasn’t the person that I truly am. Equally, I’m sure a lot of what I saw of you was a front too.”

Hermione watched him silently.

“So as much as I am thrilled that you have been to the ship a few times, trust me I really am,” Draco said sincerely, “I think maybe if we want to try and have a real shot at this thing, we need to slow it down a little. Like you said, there is a lot of baggage between us and I have a lot of skeletons in the closet that you are going to have to work out if you can come to terms with. So can I start by taking you out to dinner?”

“Uh…that is a lot to take in,” Hermione said, frowning, “But I think I agree with you. My brain is sort of just taking a second to catch up.”

Draco nodded, “I understand that.”

“But the thing is, I’m not perfect either,” Hermione said, “I have some skeletons too and I’m basically a lonely cat lady so I figured you might need to know that in case you ever come to my flat. I mean I have 5 cats which I don’t think is considered normal and I – I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

Draco smiled at her, “You are,” he agreed, “And I like cats, it’s fine.”

Hermione cleared her throat and nodded, “So dinner, yes that would be nice.”

“I’ll pick you up from your crazy cat lady flat at 7pm on Friday?” Draco asked.

“That would be nice,” Hermione said sheepishly, wondering why she felt so nervous around him again all of a sudden.

“Alright,” Draco said, he took a step away from her, “Keep the cloak, I’ll get it back on Friday.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Draco echoed, before heading onto his ship.

***

When Hermione stepped into greenhouse 3, she sighed in relief, “Oh Neville! Thank god you’re here, I love that you live in the greenhouse!”

“Shh,” Neville hushed her.

Hermione frowned at him, “Are you feeding that baby venomous tentacula your blood?”

“Yes, it’s the best way to bring them on in the first few weeks,” Neville said, “Hence why I’m here close to midnight. What the hell are you doing out here?”

“Getting broken up with, then asked out again…I think,” Hermione frowned, “Merlin Neville, my life is on fire right now.”

“Okay, I think you need a cup of tea,” Neville said, he pulled his finger out of the plants mouth and did a quick healing charm then led her into the little room at the back of the greenhouse. With a wave of his wand, he conjured up a plate with a steaming teapot full of tea, and a tray of biscuits.

“So who broke up with you and who asked you out?”

“The same person,” Hermione frowned.

“Right,” Neville said in confusion, “Now I am confused.”

“Draco basically said that we should slow things down and get to know each other properly, then asked me out for dinner,” Hermione explained.

“Alright that is a bit weird but it makes sense. So why are you confused by that?” Neville asked.

“Because he’s Draco Malfoy,” Hermione said, “He shouldn’t make sense.”

“Draco was second only to you when it came to academic achievements at school, he’s not an idiot,” Neville pointed out, “It’s perfectly reasonable for him to make sense. The thought of him being a considerate partner in a relationship is kind of weird though.”

Hermione sighed, “I suppose, but it’s not just that. Harry also kind of hates me because he and I admitted we’ve had feelings for each other in the past but that things just never worked out which made things awkward and weird. But then he slipped in his office and I lost my temper with Daphne and said I wouldn’t be Harry’s nurse anymore. Either way, Harry is pissed off with me and all in with Daphne which basically means that she’s replacing me…”

“Hermione,” Neville sighed, “You just said that the two of you were never going to become anything romantic so Daphne isn’t really replacing you. She’s something different from you, but she just happens to do some of the same things for Harry that you have in the past.”

Hermione sipped her tea thoughtfully.

“And do you know something? I do not get why you always come to me for relationship advice. I am literally the worst person to come to, don’t you realise that? I’ve had one relationship and I managed to screw that one up royally,” Neville muttered with a shake of his head.

“That was hardly your fault,” Hermione assured him, “You didn’t want to go to South America when Luna was offered the job there.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t think about what would have happened if I had gone, all the damn time,” Neville said.

“I’m sorry for making you think about it again,” Hermione said apologetically, “And I’m sorry for dumping my problems on you all the time. I mean ever since that awkward night when we…you know? I’ve always come to you for advice and in that instant, comfort and it’s not fair on you Neville.”

“I am everyone’s favourite comfort blanket Hermione, it’s okay,” Neville admitted, “I’ve come to terms with this. I have my plants, which people think I’m crazy for treating like humans, but it keeps me going just like you have your cats.”

“Still, I’m sorry that you’ve not met someone who realises how great you are,” Hermione said, “Crazy plant guy and all.”

Neville smiled at her, “You realise Draco might not be so into you when he finds out about Godric, Salazar, Merlin, Rowena and Helga.”

“I told him about them and he said he likes cats,” Hermione said with a sheepish smile, “But he might not be so keen when I tell him their names.”

Neville snorted and said, “If you’ve met someone who is okay with you having a flat full of cats named after famous witches and wizards, maybe there is hope for me yet.”

Hermione just laughed and poured him a cup of tea, “Maybe there is,” she agreed as she handed him the cup.


	11. The Yule Ball Approaches

When Harry opened his eyes, he felt groggy and heavy. The world spun until he managed to sit up and get his glasses on, he groaned under his breath, everything hurt, apart from his back ironically enough. He frowned as he tried to remember the night before.

_Wow, I am in serious pain. What the hell did I do last night? Oh yeah, Lacey and her Father…I destroyed my office…fuck, why am I acting like a 15 year old? It’s like 5th year all over again, just without the dead Godfather._

Harry felt stiff as he got out of bed and dressed. He slipped out of bedroom and swore when he saw the office, it really was a mess. From the balcony above Harry repaired all of the broken ornaments and cleaned the floor, it was only when he was done and his office was back to normality that he realised what time it was.

“Shit!” Harry cursed as he hurried from the office, it was midday which meant he had missed his 1st year Slytherin and Gryffindor class, and that his 7th years would be in the middle of their double period at the moment. Harry was out of breath by the time he had rushed down to the third floor so after climbing the stairs to the Defence classroom in the Defence tower he thought he was going to have a heart attack. He paused to take a breath outside the classroom and through the ajar door he heard someone speaking. Harry frowned, he recognised that voice, he quietly cast a disillusionment charm on himself and snuck into the classroom.

Draco Malfoy, was teaching his N.E.W.T level Defence against the Dark Arts class.

“And now we will discuss basic revealing charms to continue our overall discussion of stealth and tracking charms,” Draco was saying as he leant against Harry’s desk, “Some of you may already know such charms as I am aware that in Durmstrang they are taught in 5th year Charms. Is that the standard practice at Hogwarts?”

“No Professor Malfoy,” Lacey piped up, “They’ve been taught in 3rd year here ever since Professor Potter arrived.”

“Interesting,” Draco said thoughtfully, “Such charms are often beyond the magical capability of a 3rd year student.”

“Professor Potter says that no charm is beyond anyone’s capability if they practice hard enough,” One of the Gryffindor girls chirped.

“Does he now?” Draco asked, muttering under his breath, “Typical Gryffindor cheese.”

He looked vaguely amused, “Moving on. Would anyone like to demonstrate one of these revealing charms?”

“I will!” Lacey piped up.

She stood up and said, “Homenum Revelio,” then she frowned, “Hang on a minute…it’s detecting something. It’s not supposed to do that.”

“I believe Miss. Nott, that the charm is telling you that Professor Potter has finally arrived an hour late to this class,” Draco said, smirking as Harry took the charm off and smiled sheepishly at the class, “I was merely observing your teaching methods Professor Malfoy,” Harry said as he walked to the front of the class, “Thank you for covering for me in my brief illness.”

“My pleasure,” Draco said politely.

“Professor Potter!” A Gryffindor boy piped up, “Since you’re both Headmaster’s can you and Professor Malfoy duel?”

Harry laughed at this and shook his head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, perhaps at the end of term.”

There was a cheer and then Harry asked the class to take him up to date with what Draco had taught them.

***

When Daphne took her seat at lunch, it was to find Harry and Draco bickering.

“Why did you take my class?” Harry was asking Draco, “Are you even qualified?”

“Yes, more than qualified,” Draco said, surveying Harry in amusement, “None of you bothered to ask me what I taught at Durmstrang before I became Headmaster.”

“_You _taught Defence against the Dark Arts at Durmstrang?” Harry asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Draco replied, “Despite being on the opposite side during the war Potter, I still learned to defend myself.”

“I thought Durmstrang _taught _the Dark Arts,” Harry said sceptically, “So what’s the point in teaching Defence?”

“They have always taught both,” Draco explained, “But Defence was always seen as a losers subject, rather like Divination is here.”

“Explains why you got the job,” Harry teased.

Draco stood his ground, “For your information Potter. Since I became Headmaster, Durmstrang has stopped teaching the Dark Arts and Defence against the Dark Arts has become a core subject up until 5th year level. Don’t underestimate me, I’m not a complete arsehole and I am a good Headmaster.”

Harry gave a nod, “Alright, I can respect that. How did you even know that I would be unable to teach my classes?”

“Well,” Neville piped up from his side, “Unlike you, _Headmaster_, I actually took the time to talk to Draco about his time at Durmstrang when he came here so I happened to know that he had taught DADA. I asked him to cover for you this morning when Daphne informed me that you were under the weather and he happily obliged.”

“Understood,” Harry said with a smile, “Thank you for being my second in command Neville.”

“Anytime Harry,” Neville said as he took his seat.

“And thank you for covering for me Draco,” Harry added, “I’m sorry for being a little irrational with you lately.”

“I understand why you were,” Draco assured him, “But Hermione has decided to stay away from Hogwarts for the moment until work requires it and I intend to do right by her and court her properly so hopefully that will ease some tensions.”

Harry nodded, but frowned, “Uh…it might well do.”

Draco just bowed his head and went back to his food silently.

***

Hermione felt sick with nerves when the doorbell rang that Friday night. She took a breath to calm her nerves then opened the door of her flat.

Her eyes widened when she saw Draco standing on her doorstep wearing Muggle garb. She hadn’t seen him out of thick robes and fur cloaks since he came back from Durmstrang so it was strange to see him in jeans and a cashmere jumper to say the least, but it suited him.

Hermione smiled nervously, “Is this okay? You didn’t tell me where we were going so…”

“It’s perfect,” Draco said. Hermione had been unsure how fancy this dinner was going to be so she had settled for jeans, heeled boots and a sparkly jumper, “Are you ready to go?”

“I just need to grab my keys, two seconds,” She said, disappearing back into the flat.

As she did so, a large long-haired ginger cat tried to escape, “Godric, get back in here!”

The cat meowed and ran back into the flat. Hermione emerged with her keys and saw the look on Draco’s face, “Don’t even start.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at her, “Your cat is called Godric?”

“Yes, that cat is called Godric,” Hermione said, she locked the door and turned to look at him.

Draco was unable to hide the amusement on his face, “Why does it not surprise me that you named your cat Godric? What are the rest of them called?” he asked, offering her his arm.

Hermione took it and they walked down the path together, “Well that’s sort of a long story because their names all have specific meanings.”

“Well, I was planning on walking to the restaurant anyway since you conveniently live in the centre of London,” Draco said, he smirked at her, “So I have plenty of time.”

Hermione chuckled, “Right, so I got Godric and Salazar first-”

Draco choked back a laugh.

“Don’t laugh!”

“Sorry,” Draco said, he turned his face away from her for a moment then said calmly, “Continue.”

“I got them first from a Muggle pet shop. They are brothers, so the people at the pet shop said they would get on,” Hermione explained, “But they didn’t. They were kittens when I got them and I swear, they spent a year terrorising each other hence why they ended up being Godric and Salazar.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Draco reasoned.

“Promise you won’t laugh at the next part?”

“I promise,” Draco said.

“After I’d had the boys for a couple of years, these two young strays starting hanging around and I felt bad for them so I fed them,” Hermione explained, “But then the boys starting getting a little too amorous with them for my liking so I got them neutered. Anyway, I ended up taking the female cats in and because the boys liked them, I named them Rowena and Helga.”

Draco bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, “So you have Godric, Salazar, Rowena and Helga?”

“Yes,” Hermione said, “Godric and Salazar are long-haired cats, Rowena and Helga are tabby cats.”

“So where did the 5th cat come from?” Draco asked, feeling like he already knew the answer.

“Merlin is a kitten, he is Rowena’s kitten,” Hermione explained matter of factly, “But I’ve no idea if Godric or Salazar is the Father.”

Draco lost it at that point and let out a reluctant laugh.

Hermione glared at him.

“I’m sorry, but did you realise you inadvertently told the story of the founders through your cats?” Draco asked, he smiled at her fondly.

Hermione frowned, “What do you mean?”

“The widely accepted story of the founders goes that they founded the school together. In fact Godric and Salazar found the location and came up with the idea, they were best friends.”

“I knew that much,” Hermione admitted.

Draco continued, “They roped Rowena and Helga into helping somehow and Hogwarts was born. That was when things started to get a little complicated. Godric and Salazar both fell in love with Rowena, but Rowena chose Godric and they were married. Salazar never relented, and it was to the detriment of his friendship with Godric. Things reached breaking point when Rowena gave birth to a daughter, Helena. The trouble was Rowena had been having an affair with Salazar and nobody knew whose daughter she was, they still don’t know to this day.”

Hermione’s eyes widened, “Wow…I did not know that. How did you know that?”

“I used to speak to the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw,” Draco replied honestly, “She spent a lot of time up in the towers and I liked to go there to clear my mind, particularly in 6th year.”

Realisation shone in Hermione’s eyes, “I see.”

“Anyway, we’re here,” Draco said, gesturing to a restaurant in front of them.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, “How did you know that this was my favourite restaurant?”

“I didn’t,” Draco said, smiling genuinely at her, “But it was one of my favourite restaurants as a child so I thought you might like it. I mean I could hardly go wrong could I, taking Hermione Granger on a date to a restaurant that is in a library?”

Hermione smiled at him, “That was very thoughtful of you.”

“Shall we go inside? I reserved a table by the world fiction section,” Draco said.

Hermione’s smile widened, and they walked into the restaurant together.

***

“Neville!”

“Hermione, it’s nearly midnight!”

“I know, please come to the floo!”

Neville rolled his eyes, “I’m in bed, just talk to me from there.”

From the fireplace, Hermione said, “He still likes me, even after I told him the story about my cats.”

“Holy shit, he really is a keeper,” Neville mumbled sleepily, “Or insane.”

“I heard that Neville!”

Neville just yawned.

“He took me to my favourite restaurant Neville, you know the one with the library that I had to practically force Sorenson to come to? He took me there and he didn’t even know it was my favourite restaurant!”

“Uh-huh, I’m sure he’s the one. Can I go back to sleep now?”

“Why are you being so sarcastic?”

“Because it’s nearly midnight and I have to teach little shits in the morning,” Neville groaned, “If you are literally just floo-ing me to gush about Draco Malfoy, could you maybe do it tomorrow at a more acceptable time of day?”

“Okay, I’ll call you at 6am tomorrow. Night Nev!”

Neville groaned and pulled a pillow over his face as the floo disconnected, “I hope her and Harry make up quickly, I can’t deal with this shit for much longer.”

***

As November turned into December, time wore on and Harry eventually had to make an announcement about the Yule Ball after a week or so of nagging letters from Hermione. It was now mid-December and he couldn’t put it off anymore.

“Harry,” Daphne said as she fell into step with him on the way to the great hall, “I need to talk to you.”

Harry glanced sideways at her, “You’re going to ask me when I’m doing the announcement,” he guessed with a smirk.

“No,” Daphne said, smirking back at him, “I was going to _tell _you that whether you like it or not you are doing it at breakfast today.”

“I had a feeling you might say that,” Harry groaned.

“Harry, I know you think you can ignore Hermione’s letters but she is right. It’s two weeks today so just be a man and stand up and make the announcement,” Daphne told him.

“Fine,” Harry agreed reluctantly, muttering, “I bloody hate the Yule Ball.”

“You _are_ Headmaster,” Daphne pointed out as they walked into the great hall, “You’re going to have to go through a lot of Yule Balls.”

Harry grumbled at this but stood up at the podium at the front of the hall.

“Can I have your attention please?” Harry asked loudly, and silence fell over the hall.

“It is my pleasure to announce that on the 24th of December we will be having one of the most traditional and famous parts of the Triwizard Tournament here at Hogwarts, the Yule Ball!” Harry said, which of course started the whispering of excitement, “Dress robes are required for the ball and students must be in 4th year and above to attend, however they _may _invite younger students. As much as this is a chance for us to all unwind after a difficult term, I would like to remind everyone that a certain level of behaviour and decorum is expected from all,” he glanced at the Gryffindor table with a certain sparkle in his eyes, “Certain 7th year Gryffindor’s have been warned.”

At this Williamson saluted Harry and Jones winked, he shook his head in amusement and made his way to the head table, “Happy now?” he asked his girlfriend with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes,” Daphne replied with a smirk, “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Harry rolled his eyes, “That’s a matter of opinion. Anyway, do you fancy being my unofficial date since none of the students are supposed to know we’re together?”

Daphne chuckled, “Sure. Are you going with Hermione, Draco?”

“I was intending on asking her,” Draco said.

“I’m sure she will say yes,” Neville said from further along the table.

“What would you know about it?” Harry asked curiously.

“Well I’m the one she gushes to after literally every date,” Neville said with a roll of his eyes, “I’m sick of hearing about how great you are by the way Malfoy especially after 1 o’clock in the fricking morning. Can you two try and get home from a date a little earlier next time so that I can get some sleep?”

“I think you ought to bring that one up with Hermione, Longbottom,” Draco smirked.

“Oh I have Draco, trust me. She just isn’t getting the hint, at all,” Neville said, pouring himself a large cup of coffee.

Harry frowned, “It used to be me that she would talk to about that sort of thing,” He said quietly.

“You told her you didn’t want to be that person anymore,” Daphne reminded him gently, “So I guess Neville is that person now.”

“I guess so,” Harry said, although there was a wrenching feeling in his gut at that thought.

***

_Knock. Knock._

When Hermione answered her door on Wednesday evening, she wasn’t expecting to see Draco standing outside it. She was glad she hadn’t gotten changed into her pyjamas yet, “Oh Draco, hi.”

“Hi,” Draco said with a smile, “Sorry to show up announced but I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure, come in,” Hermione said, she opened the door a little, “But I’m sorry about the mess, and watch out for Merlin. He’s a scratcher, and a biter.”

Draco stepped into the living room of the flat, which was small but immaculate. There was a little cat house in the corner of the living room where three out of five cats were sleeping. Draco could only presume that the others were out, as there was a cat flap on the back door.

“I know we agreed to take things slow and we have only had a few dates so I completely understand if you want to say no,” Draco began, “But I wondered if you might like to accompany me to the Yule Ball?”

Hermione smiled at him, “I would love to, but are you sure you want me to do that? You know Rita Skeeter will be there and if I go with you, the press will be on it immediately.”

“I am aware of that,” Draco said.

“You also know they won’t be very kind to you in any articles they might write, don’t you?” Hermione asked.

Draco nodded, “Yes, but I am rather used to that. I saw the scathing articles they wrote after the war, before I left the country.”

Hermione sighed, “You didn’t deserve that. Your Father, and I’m sorry for saying this, deserves everything he got. Every second of his life sentence, he deserves that, but you and your Mother didn’t. You didn’t deserve the backlash in the press, you were victims too.”

Draco shook his head and looked away from her, “I was a victim once, when I was a little boy. But when I was at Hogwarts, I wasn’t a victim, I was just a coward. At any point, I could have gone to Dumbledore, I could have gone to you or to Harry. I could have begged for a chance and turned to the light, but I didn’t because I was too afraid so don’t call me a victim. I’m no more of a victim than Snape was a romantic hero.”

Hermione smiled slightly sadly at him, “Do you want to stay for a cuppa?”

“A what?”

“A cup of coffee,” Hermione explained, “Don’t you pureblooded Slytherins drink coffee?”

“We do, but I have never in my life been asked if I wanted a cuppa,” Draco admitted, “Until now.”

Hermione chuckled and led him into the kitchen where a kitten was drinking out of a bowl of milk. It immediately started trying to climb Draco’s leg so he picked it up.

“Ah, so this is Merlin?”

“That is Merlin,” Hermione said as she boiled the kettle and set out two mugs.

“How does that kettle work without being put on the stove?” Draco asked.

Hermione bit back her laughter, “Electricity Draco.”

“Excuse you.”

Hermione laughed out loud that time, “No, it uses electricity. This is how we live in the muggle world, we use electricity. Didn’t you notice that the house has lights, not candles?”

Draco looked up and frowned, “Hmm, I have never seen the likes of it before.”

“That’s because I imagine this is the first time you have ever set foot in a muggle property,” Hermione said, she handed him a cup of coffee and took Merlin from him. The cat curled up on her shoulder and they made their way back into the living room.

“Why would you choose to live in a muggle property when you are a witch?” Draco asked curiously.

“Because as much as I like magic, sometimes electricity is really convenient,” Hermione said honestly.

Draco looked at his cup of coffee suspiciously.

“Draco, the water tastes the same when it’s been boiled by electricity,” Hermione said, exasperation tinging her voice.

Draco took a cautionary sip then looked up at Hermione, “You’re right, it does taste the same. So what was the conclusion about this Yule Ball then?”

“I will go with you, but if there is a backlash in the press, I won’t be able to stand by and take it,” Hermione said, “I’ll storm into the prophet, get Rita Skeeter sacked because I _know _she’s an illegal animagus. Then I’ll tell them to stop writing shit about you.”

“Okay, we have a deal,” Draco said, he took another sip of coffee, “So, tell me more about this electricity thing.”

***

“Neville, have you heard about this thing called electricity?” Draco asked Neville over breakfast the following morning.

Daphne snorted further along the table, and Neville looked up at the former Slytherin in amusement, “Yes Draco, I am familiar with electricity.”

“Aren’t you amazed at the wonders it can do? It can give light without the fire risk of a candle, it can operate these strange television things where you can watch tiny people live out their life and last night, Hermione made me a cup of coffee. I swear, it was the quickest cup of coffee I have ever had in my life. It took seconds to boil rather than minutes,” Draco said with complete amazement.

“Sometimes you purebloods are so easily amused,” Neville said, holding back his laughter.

“Are you honestly just being introduced to electricity at 25 years of age?” Harry asked Draco in disbelief.

“Pureblood manors are very old fashioned in all fairness so the only way we would know about the workings of the muggle world would have been by visiting it,” Daphne pointed out, “And Lucius Malfoy practically banned that.”

Draco nodded, “I was not given much freedom as a child. I spent two hours learning about electricity at Hermione’s flat last night though. I have no idea why we don’t use it. It’s a science far beyond magic.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Neville said under his breath, chuckling all the while.

“Draco Malfoy singing the praises of electricity and muggles,” Daphne said with an amused shake of her head.

“Tomorrow she’s going to teach me about mobile phones,” Draco said matter of factly, “Hermione says they are like the floo system, but you can carry them with you all the time.”

Harry looked at Daphne in disbelief, “What has she done to Draco Malfoy?”

“I have no idea, but I love it,” Daphne said as she fought back laughter.

***

A couple of weeks before Christmas, Harry was awoken by the floo whirring to life downstairs.

“Harry,” A familiar voice called.

He frowned and walked over to the fireplace, “Ginny!”

“Why are you so surprised to hear from me?” Ginny asked with a smile as Harry sat down on the floor to talk to her.

“I just haven’t heard from you in a while,” Harry said honestly, “How is…”

“Jacob,” Ginny said.

“Yes Jacob, how is he?”

“Big, he’s walking now,” Ginny said happily.

“Oh really? That’s great,” Harry said as his heart sunk, he was thinking of all the things that he would never have.

“I know you probably don’t have time for small talk at the moment,” Ginny said, “With classes and all, but I just wanted to give you some good news.”

“About what?” Harry asked.

“Hermione got in touch with me about the clinical trial, I suggested you as a patient when she told me your case and the board accepted you,” Ginny said with a smile, “As of March you will start getting a potion to take once a month and you will be assessed.”

“Really?” Harry asked in disbelief, “Ginny, thank you, that’s…” he shook his head as he tried to get his mind around it, “That’s amazing, thank you.”

“I can ensure you that you’ll be on the potion, not the fake drug, but you have to do something for me first,” Ginny said with a smirk.

“How much money do you want?” Harry asked.

“Not that kind of payment,” Ginny said with a shake of her head.

“What do you want then?” Harry asked his ex-girlfriend.

“I want to go to the Yule Ball,” Ginny admitted sheepishly.

“Why?” Harry asked curiously.

Ginny shrugged, “I didn’t really enjoy it the first time round, Neville kept standing on my feet.”

Harry laughed loudly at this and said, “Well I’ve not officially got a date because it’s sort of frowned upon for me to be dating the person I’m dating so-”

“I know,” Ginny said with a grin.

“How did you find out about that?” Harry asked, did everyone know his business?

“Neville told me,” Ginny said simply.

“Does Neville tell everyone my business without telling me?” Harry asked in exasperation.

“He’s the Deputy Head, that’s exactly what he does, organises things for you because you can’t be bothered or forget to,” Ginny teased.

Harry rolled his eyes, he knew that she was right, “Yes well, as I was saying I’m going it solo at the moment so feel free to come as my date.”

“Then we have a deal,” Ginny said brightly, “I’ll floo to your office around 6 on the 24th?”

“Sure,” Harry said, “Won’t Blaise mind you going to a ball as your ex-boyfriends date?”

Ginny shrugged, “We’re off at the moment.”

“Are you two ever going to get married, or stay together for longer than 6 months?” Harry asked as he chuckled.

“Who knows, Mum wants me to,” Ginny said through her laughter.

“You always were rebellious,” Harry said with a grin.

Ginny laughed and said, “I suppose. I need to go Harry, I’ve got to feed Jacob, but I’ll see you at the Yule Ball.”

“See you there,” Harry said as the floo call ended.

***

“Daph? You in here?”

“I’ll be out in a minute!”

Harry leant against the edge of her desk in her office. A few minutes later she walked out of her lab, pulling her hair out of her ponytail. She shook it out and sighed, “Sorry, Poppy asked for a new batch of pepper up potions now that flu season is underway.”

“It’s alright,” Harry smiled, “I just need to talk to you about something.”

“That sounds ominous,” Daphne said.

“Well, I can’t officially take you to the Yule Ball, but I will promise to dance with you at least once,” Harry said, “So how would you feel about me taking someone else?”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “Who?”

“Ginny,” Harry said slowly, “But there is a good reason for it. She wanted to go and she said if I took her as my date, she would not only get me on that clinical trial that Hermione was talking about, she would make sure I got the real potion, not the fake one.”

Daphne smiled, “I think that’s a fair deal. If I have to watch you hang out with your ex for a night so that we might have a chance at a normal life together, I’ll take that.”

“Alright,” Harry said, he breathed out a sigh of relief, “What did I do to deserve you?”

Daphne shot him a smirk, “I’m still not convinced that you do Potter,” she thrust a box in his arms, “Deliver these to Poppy for me.”

“Hey, I am _your _superior!” Harry pointed out as she walked towards the door.

In the doorway, she smirked at him once more, “But you are also my boyfriend,” she said.

Then she left him standing in her office, holding a box of bloody pepper-up potions.

“How does she do that to me, all the bloody time?” Harry muttered under his breath.


	12. The Yule Ball

Harry already wanted the Yule Ball to be over before it had even begun. His students were beyond unruly that day. Draco thought it was harsh to have classes on Christmas Eve, but this had been in force since McGonagall took over. She thought it made more sense to give the students a two week holiday from 5pm on Christmas Eve onwards rather than a week before Christmas and a week after.

It didn’t bother Harry too much, he never really had much to do at Christmas. He usually spent it at Hogwarts and went round to the burrow for an hour or so in the evening. His 4th year class were hard to control which was rare for the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff classes, so in the end Harry had given them an easy task that he knew they wouldn’t complete. His 6th years were even worse for students at N.E.W.T level so he had given in and let them discuss their dates and their outfits. By break he wanted to rip his hair out so he sat in his office and enjoyed 20 minutes of silence. Thankfully his 2nd years were acting normally since most of them wouldn’t be old enough to go to the ball, but after teaching the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff class followed by the Slytherin-Gryffindor one, by the time lunch came he just wanted the day to be over.

“How have your kids been today? Because I am a patient teacher, but my 4th and 6th years are testing my patience.”

Daphne rolled her eyes and topped up his coffee cup, “Mine are just as bad. If one more student asks me if they can make a love potion in class today, I swear I will give them detention for this evening.”

“Ooh, that’s cruel,” Harry said with a grin.

Daphne smirked at him, “You would expect nothing less from the Head of Slytherin.”

“That is very true,” Harry chuckled.

“To be fair, what do you guys expect? It’s Christmas Eve _and _the Yule Ball is tonight,” Neville pointed out, “I’ve been letting the kids plant bulbs all day because there is literally no point in trying to teach them anything.”

“I know, they usually find it a bit harder to concentrate on Christmas Eve, but it’s much worse today,” Harry said as he shovelled food into his mouth.

“I have 1st and 2nd years for the rest of the day, so I’ve done the hard part,” Daphne said “But don’t you have 7th years this afternoon?”

“And 5th years,” Harry groaned, he really wanted to hit his head off of the table.

“Just teach them something fun,” Neville suggested.

Harry’s 5th year Slytherin-Gryffindor class were literally out of control, he couldn’t even get them to partake in a mock duel so he spent the period sitting on his desk listening to what make up who was wearing and the colour of their dresses. He got fed up pretty quickly so ended up talking to the boys about Quidditch.

By the time it got to the last period of the day Harry really couldn’t be bothered.

“Does anyone want to be here?” Harry asked the 7th years.

“No!” The class echoed.

“Alright good,” Harry said, “Because I really don’t want to be either. Clear off and start getting ready for the ball.”

“Really?” Maisie Scott asked from the front of the class.

“Really, on you go,” Harry said and with that the class stampeded out of the classroom until only one person was left.

“Professor Potter,” Lacey said as she walked forward.

“Oh, hello Miss. Nott,” Harry said with a smile.

“He asked me to the ball,” Lacey said with a sheepish grin.

“Williamson did? Good for you,” Harry said, happy for the girl.

“Do you have a date Professor?” Lacey asked, hoping that it wasn’t too private a question.

“Yes, I’m going with a friend from school,” Harry told the girl, “I saw the lists yesterday, why are you staying here for Christmas?”

Lacey shrugged, “I don’t really want to go home. I love my brother but his wife lives in the manor now and they’re so busy with the kids.”

“Well, I spent almost all of my Christmases at Hogwarts,” Harry said honestly, “And Professor Dumbledore made sure they were great fun, so don’t worry, you won’t be lonely tomorrow.”

Lacey nodded, “Thanks Professor Potter, I better go and get ready.”

“On you go,” Harry agreed, “And have fun tonight!” he called after her.

With Lacey gone Harry sighed and sank down into his seat. It was only quarter to 4, he still had 2 hours until Ginny arrived, he knew he would need to go down to the great hall for dinner, but for now he was going to relax before this darned ball.

*******

At 6pm the floo in Harry’s office roared to life, he actually felt a little nervous as Ginny emerged from it. In a sense this was a date and she _was _his ex-girlfriend but then that was a long time ago.

“Good evening,” Ginny said in a mock posh English accent as she emerged from the fire wearing a floor length fitting black dress.

Harry laughed, the ice broken already, “What was that?”

“Oh, I heard you were dating a proper English heiress now,” Ginny joked, “Figured I should maybe do the accent.”

“A proper English heiress?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You forget my baby Daddy was in the same house as her at school, right?” Ginny said, “So I know all about your new catch. The honourable Lady Greengrass, she of Greengrass Manor with a rich Daddy who owns the most successful shipping company in the wizarding world.”

Harry frowned, “Uh…”

Ginny’s eyes widened, “You didn’t know any of that, did you?”

“Nope,” Harry admitted sheepishly, “I knew she had a sister who is married to Theodore Nott, who Hermione used to date. But that was about it so I guess maybe I should bring that up some time…”

“Yeah,” Ginny said, “That might be an idea. How can you have been sleeping with this woman for two years and not know any of that? There’s a reason she has a house in Greece you know.”

“Right,” Harry said, he was still reeling from the boatload of information Ginny had just dumped on him, but he pushed it back and said, “You look great by the way.”

“You don’t scrub up so badly yourself,” Ginny said with a smile, “When does the ball start?”

“7pm,” Harry replied as he sat down on the edge of his desk, he was wearing bottle-green robes, just like he had to the last Yule Ball, “But I need to be there for 6.30. Do you want a drink?”

“I’d love one,” Ginny admitted as she sat down on one of the many chairs in the office and accepted the small glass of firewhiskey Harry handed her.

“So,” Ginny said with a smile, “Why did you not ask Hermione tonight?”

“Because Hermione and I are sort of having a break from our friendship,” Harry replied, “She’s been my best friend for so long, my go to person about everything, and I sort of realised that it was because I had feelings for her.”

“Yeah, I could have told you that a long time ago,” Ginny said.

Harry sighed, “Well either way, when two best friends admit that they’ve had feelings for each other in the past but they are both dating other people, things get a little awkward so we figured a break might be a good idea.”

“Not dating each other is a good idea,” Ginny said, “The friendship you and Hermione have is something else. You don’t want to ruin that by tainting it with romantic feelings.”

Harry nodded thoughtfully, “You aren’t the first person to say that to me, you know?”

“Probably means it’s right,” Ginny shrugged.

“Yeah…so how are you? You said you and Blaise are off at the moment?”

“I’m fine,” Ginny said honestly, “Blaise and I…to be honest, I think we just thrive on the drama.”

“You sure as hell do,” Harry teased.

Ginny smirked, “Hey, how else is life going to stay interesting? Have you spoken to my brother lately?”

“The one I’m supposedly best friends with? Nope, not since July,” Harry replied.

“If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t heard from him in ages either,” Ginny said, “He went straight from the American cup to the European one so Merlin knows where he is now.”

Harry sighed, “Do you reckon he will be back for Christmas?” he asked as he offered his arm to Ginny.

She took it and they started heading towards the entrance hall, “I doubt it at this rate. Are you coming over tomorrow?”

“Of course, I’ll pop round in the evening like I always do,” Harry said.

“Are you bringing Daphne with you?” Ginny asked pointedly.

“I hadn’t thought about it to be honest,” Harry said, he looked at Ginny, “Does your Mother want me to?”

“She always wants to meet your girlfriends,” Ginny said, she gave Harry an exasperated look.

Harry chuckled, “I’ll ask Daphne if she wants to tag along,” he promised.

When they stepped onto the grand staircase, they joined the herd of excited students making their way to the Yule Ball. Harry said hello to a few of the girls, and got haggled by some about how his date was so pretty.

Ginny was smiling by the time they reached the marble stairs leading to the entrance hall, and that worried Harry, “What?” he asked feeling slightly self-conscious.

“Nothing,” Ginny admitted, “I’ve just not seen you in action before, you’re a fantastic Headmaster.”

Harry’s cheeks actually flushed at that but he tried to cover it up as he and Ginny made their way through the students gathering outside of the great hall.

“Who is Hermione dating by the way?” Ginny asked, “I didn’t know there was a new guy.”

“I’m sure you’ll find out tonight,” Harry said darkly.

Ginny frowned at his tone, but said no more. They opened the doors to the great hall and slipped inside, they were almost the last of the teachers to arrive in the hall. McGonagall and Flitwick were talking while Trelawney was sipping on sherry. Ernie was standing in a group with the slightly younger teachers with his date Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff they had gone to school with. Padma who taught Arithmancy was here alone and Charlie who taught Care of Magical Creatures seemed to be here with Aurora Sinistra. Fleur was here with Bill, Susan appeared to have Krum as her date and Draco was here, with Hermione.

“Hermione is dating Malfoy?” Ginny asked in disbelief.

“Finally, somebody who shares my opinion about that,” Harry said under his breath.

“How?” Ginny asked quietly, “After everything, how can she be _dating _him?”

“I have no idea and I’m not having any part in it,” Harry admitted. His eyes weren’t on Draco and Hermione though, they were on someone else.

“Is Viktor Krum really her date?” Harry asked quietly as he looked at Susan.

Ginny chuckled and said, “Viktor Krum has probably slept with most of the girls who were in your school year.”

“I know,” Harry said with a shake of his head. Then his eyes spotted someone else and he grinned “Gin, look over there!

Ginny smiled too when she saw Ron. He hurried over to them the moment he spotted them. He hugged his sister then gave Harry a bear hug.

Harry grinned at his friend, “It’s good to see you mate, I’m glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Ron said with a grin, “Your first big event as Headmaster and all.”

Harry appreciated that, “Thanks mate,” he said and it came from the heart.

“It’s only been a few months since I saw you,” Ron said, looking between Harry and Ginny, “Am I missing something?”

“No Ron,” Ginny replied, sounding exasperated, “We’re here as friends.”

“Right,” Ron said as his ears turned slightly pink, “Dunno how I feel about Hermione being here with Malfoy though.”

Harry shrugged, “I know how I feel about it,” he said.

Ron’s frown deepened, “I mean I thought they hated each other and he’s a prick, what’s she doing messing around with him?”

“I honestly don’t know Ron, but whatever is going on between them started when he got back for the tournament,” Harry said with yet another shrug, “I don’t mind the guy, but I don’t like him dating Hermione.”

“Nah…” Ron said, his eyes lingered on Hermione for a little too long, “She looks amazing though.”

“She does,” Harry agreed. Hermione was wearing a floor length white dress with one shoulder strap only, it was both classy and sexy, something she had mastered ever since their first grand Ministry Ball.

Unfortunately there wasn’t any more time for small talk as the doors opened and the students piled in. Harry was in charge of lining them all up and then he popped his head outside to talk to the champions briefly.

“Ready?” He asked the 3 champions and their dates.

Lacey looked a little pale but nodded, and Gabrielle brightly said she was ready, Agmund merely grunted. His date was his girlfriend from back home, a slim tall girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Gabrielle was surprisingly with one of his 7th year Gryffindors, Jones, the Welsh boy. How those two could understand each other, Harry did not know.

With the champions ready Harry headed back to the hall and to his date. The music began and the three champions walked into the hall, Gabrielle first, Agmund second and Lacey last, the students cheered as the champions took the floor and started the dance.

“Shall we?” Harry asked Ginny, offering her his hand. She smiled and took it and the two friends moved to the dance floor. Harry was a very good dancer now, all of the Ministry events after the war had ensured that, and Hermione’s lessons and tips had also helped.

After the first dance Harry went to get a drink for Ginny and when he was at the drinks table he walked in on an amusing conversation between Daphne and Hermione.

“I know, I wonder what he said to get her to fall for the act,” Daphne said as she poured some punch into a glass.

“It was easy with me, he used the whole ‘oh but Hermione, we were young lovers’ crap,” Hermione was saying, “I totally fell for it.”

“I fell for it too,” Daphne said, they were both looking at something towards the right of the room. He followed their line of sight and saw they were looking at Susan and Krum, this made Harry snigger, but neither of the girls had noticed him yet.

“Do you think he’ll sleep with her?” Daphne asked.

Hermione shook her head, “No, she won’t go for it, not tonight anyway. I reckon he’ll get bored around 9 and go chase Padma.”

“Likely, but I think it will be closer to 8.30,” Daphne said and the two women shook hands and made it a bet. Shaking his head in amusement Harry made his way back over to Ginny with a drink for them both.

***

“Hermione, do you want to dance?” Draco said as he approached Daphne and Hermione at the drinks table.

“Sure,” Hermione said as she walked onto the floor with him and easily slipped into the dance position, “Rita Skeeter is watching us.”

“I know,” Draco said.

“She’s going to write a scathing article about you,” Hermione said matter of factly.

Draco spun her around, “I know,” he said again.

“Don’t you care?” Hermione asked when he brought her close to him once more.

“No, I don’t care. She can write what she wants and people can believe what they want to believe. I have wanted to dance with you at the Yule Ball for 10 years,” Draco said smoothly.

Hermione smiled up at him, “For the guy they called the Slytherin Prince, you really are a hopeless romantic.”

“Maybe I am,” Draco agreed as he pulled her closer and kissed her on the cheek for all of the hall to see.

***

As much as Harry had dreaded it, the evening turned out to be quite enjoyable, Harry danced with Ginny for most of the night, but he danced briefly with Daphne as promised too and Merlin, it was hard not to kiss her or look lovingly at her while slow-dancing. He also danced with Fleur and surprisingly enough, found himself having a good time.

There was only the odd problem, like Krum sneaking off with Gabrielle and Fleur unleashing her French rage on him in the rose garden outside. At 10.30pm the younger students left, leaving only the teachers and the 6th and 7th years. It was then that two teenage pranksters decided to act on a plan they had been hatching.

“Do it now Steven,” Robert Williamson said to his best friend Steven Jones. The Welshman put a disillusionment charm on himself and spiked the punch with firewhiskey before sneaking back over to his friend.

Williamson was here with Lacey but she was dancing with Maisie at the moment. He took the spell off and grinned, “This should be fun!”

***

“Hey.”

Susan Bones looked up when she heard the voice, she was sitting at a table on her own at the moment after being ditched by her date.

“Oh, hey Draco,” Susan said as the Slytherin sat down.

“Pretty bad choice of date,” Draco noted which made Susan laugh, “Yeah,” she said simply.

“Where’s yours?” Susan asked, looking across the hall.

“Dancing with her best friend who also happens to be her ex, weirdly enough,” Draco said with a shrug. Susan glanced over to the dance floor where Hermione was dancing with Ron.

Next to them, Harry was dancing with Daphne again, “How serious are Harry and Daphne?”

Draco frowned, he realised very quickly where this was going, “Pretty serious,” he replied.

Susan shook her head and sighed, “Yeah, that’s kind of what I thought. I really screwed that one up…anyway, I’m going to head home. I’ll see you for the second task.”

“See you then,” Draco agreed as the former Hufflepuff left the hall.

***

“Professor Potter!”

Harry turned away from Daphne to look at Lacey, she looked worried, “Yes, Miss. Nott?”

“I’m worried about Maisie sir,” Lacey said, she glanced around to make sure that nobody was eavesdropping, “She started acting really funny then she disappeared outside with Professor MacMillan.”

Daphne’s eyes widened, “Harry…”

“I’ll deal with it,” Harry said sharply, “Professor Greengrass, please check the punch for me. I have a suspicion that someone may have spiked it.”

Daphne nodded, and Harry headed for the door with Lacey at his heels.

“Lacey, I need you to stay here-”

“No sir!” Lacey snapped.

Harry turned around, “Miss. Nott-”

“With all due respect sir, she is my _best friend_,” Lacey said hotly, “So I am coming with you.”

Harry should have pulled rank and told her no, but he didn’t have the heart because he would have been exactly the same if it had been Hermione in that situation. So he didn’t say anything, and he let her follow him out into the rose garden.

They made their way through the garden, walking past couple after over amorous couple. Then in a darkened spot, they saw Maisie. Lacey gasped in disbelief when she saw her friend, and Harry’s blood boiled.

“Professor MacMillan,” He said, his voice rumbled.

Ernie jumped away from the girl and looked up at Harry in horror.

“What I have just witnessed is gross misconduct,” Harry hissed under his breath, “Pack your things and get out of my school, immediately.”

Ernie didn’t even open his mouth to argue, he just left the garden silently. Harry knelt down in front of Maisie and felt her cheeks, “You are boiling sweetheart, I think someone might have spiked the punch. Did you have a lot of it?”

Maisie nodded.

“She was really hot because of all the dancing,” Lacey said from Harry’s side.

“Let’s get you up to the hospital wing,” Harry said, he lifted Maisie up and took her back into the castle. He led Lacey up to the hospital wing from a secret passage in the upper dungeons. When they got there, Poppy looked up in alarm, “Not another one?”

“Another one?” Harry asked.

“I’ve had three people in here in the last half hour, all showing signs of minor alcohol poisoning,” Poppy exclaimed.

“Well this one might be a little worse,” Harry said, he lay Maisie on a bed, “Lacey, keep an eye on your friend. I need to deal with some people back in the great hall.”

Lacey just nodded as Harry stalked down to the great hall, like a man on a mission. When he entered, Daphne met him by the door, “The punch was definitely spiked, I’ve removed all traces of it and sent any students showing signs of alcohol poisoning up to the hospital wing. A few of my 6th year Slytherins told me that they saw two of your 7th year Gryffindor boys loitering by the punch bowl.”

“I know exactly which two,” Harry fumed, his eyes fell on Williamson and Jones who were laughing in a corner of the room.

“Is Miss. Scott alright?” Daphne asked in an undertone.

“She was when I pulled that sleaze off of her,” Harry said darkly, “I dismissed him, with immediate effect.”

Daphne shook her head angrily, “That is disgusting.”

Harry nodded in agreement, “Excuse me while I deal with those two,” he said.

***

“Williamson, Jones,” Harry said in a harsh undertone, “I need to speak with you both, privately.”

The two boys jumped out of their skin and looked terrified when they saw that the Headmaster was actually angry, it was a rare occurrence. The two boys followed him into the dungeons, it was some sort of poetic justice that he ended up scolding them in Snape’s old classroom.

“That stunt you pulled with the punch was not funny,” Harry said in a dangerously angry undertone, “Several students have taken ill and are being treated in the hospital wing. Not to mention the fact you put one girl in very serious danger. I will be writing to both of your parents and you will be spending the entire Christmas holiday cleaning the entirety of the trophy room without any magic. I cannot impress on you enough, the seriousness of what you two did.”

The two boys didn’t take their eyes off the ground as they said, “Sorry Headmaster.”

“You are dismissed. Go straight to your dormitories and do not come back to the ball,” Harry said harshly.

“Yes sir,” The boys said, and they fled as soon as Harry left the classroom.

Harry sighed as he walked back towards the hall, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go to bed but as Headmaster, he had to stay until the end of the ball.

*******

When Harry woke up on Christmas morning, it was to Daphne stepping out of the bathroom, “Merry Christmas baby.”

“Merry Christmas,” Harry sighed, kissing her lightly.

“Cheer up, it is Christmas,” Daphne reminded him.

“I know, but I just had to fire someone last night and now I have a vulnerable girl I need to talk to,” Harry said, he rubbed his eyes, “Because I need to find out if she wants to press charges against that fucking scumbag,”

“You don’t need to do that on Christmas Day,” Daphne said gently, “Just let her enjoy Christmas and talk to her tomorrow.”

Harry nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed while Daphne got dressed.

“And on the note of things I probably shouldn’t bring up on Christmas Day,” Harry continued, “I found out some things about you from Ginny last night. Things that I feel like I should have known about you.”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “Let me guess. She told you that I have a title and a rich Daddy?”

Harry nodded, “Uh…well, yeah.”

“Well that’s partly true,” Daphne said, “Technically I could call myself Lady Greengrass but how pretentious does that sound? And I do have a rich Daddy, but that rich Daddy also disowned me and poured my trust fund into his business when I refused to marry Draco Malfoy like his marriage contract told me to. I haven’t spoken to him in 5 years, and I certainly never intend to use any of his titles or money.”

Harry stared at her for a moment, “Why have you never told me that?”

“You never asked,” Daphne replied simply, “And I figured it wasn’t that important. I mean, your title outranks my Dad’s anyway.”

Harry frowned, “I know, but you know pretty much everything about me and I know half as much about you. It just doesn’t seem right.”

“Then I guess you better start getting to know me better,” Daphne said, somewhat suggestively. She took his hand and dragged him out of the room, “Come on, let’s go and wish the students a merry Christmas.”

“Alright,” Harry conceded, “But we aren’t done with this conversation. Wait wait wait…what do you mean about my title outranking your Dads…do you want to marry me?”

“Merlin, you Gryffindors are slow,” Daphne teased with a smirk, “Always at least two steps behind,” she said while she dragged him from the room.

***

The great hall the set up was differently as so little people had stayed for Christmas . The Hogwarts Express had left at midnight the night before to take the students home after the ball. They would arrive early on Christmas morning at Kings Cross. The house tables were gone and there was instead a large circular table that seated around 15 people. The teachers that had stayed (Harry, Neville, Daphne, Sinistra, McGonagall, Flitwick and Draco) were seated there. Fleur had gone home to spend Christmas with her family. There were only 6 students staying; 2 Gryffindors (Williamson and Jones), a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw and 2 Slytherins (Lacey and Maisie).

Harry noticed that Maisie looked subdued as she poked at the food on her plate, and Lacey was glaring across the table at Williamson and Jones. He drew his attention away from the students and listened in on a conversation Draco was having with Neville.

“What does Hermione do for Christmas?” Draco asked Neville curiously over breakfast.

“Spends it with her Mum usually,” Neville replied, “Her Dad died not long after the war so her Mum is all she has left.”

“Good,” Draco said with a nod, “I had worried that she would be spending Christmas alone and I would have gone to her flat if that was the case.”

Neville looked over at the other man, “You’re pretty serious about her, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t going to the effort of courting her properly if I wasn’t,” Draco said, he frowned at Neville, “Why do you ask?”

“She’s had a really bad run when it comes to romance,” Neville said honestly, “And I can’t stand to see her getting hurt again. She just…she wears her heart on her sleeve and that doesn’t tend to do anybody any favours.”

“I have no intentions of hurting her,” Draco promised Neville.

***

After breakfast, the day passed quickly and enjoyably. Despite their friendship being on the rocks, Hermione and Harry had still sent each other presents. Hermione had given Harry a set of colour changing robes with a note joking that he was becoming more like Dumbledore by the day.

He had sent Hermione a set of rare books from the Headmasters office. Harry and Daphne had exchanged presents too, Harry had given Daphne expensive jewellery because he knew she had expensive taste. Daphne knew how much Harry hated presents and pointless stuff, so she had given him a new wardrobe with a boggart in it so he could continue teaching his favourite class. He had grinned and thanked her, until then he hadn’t realised quite how much she ‘got’ him.

They had spent the morning lounging around, and then a huge, wonderful meal had been had in the great hall.

Harry took a leaf out of Dumbledore’s book and decided that the afternoon should be spent playing tenpin bowling and human sized chess. When all of this was finished Harry took the students out to the Quidditch pitch where it was ice cold and started a new tradition he called ‘Hogwarts Christmas Day Quidditch Match’. Harry hadn’t imagined the tensions between the Slytherins and Gryffindors that had stayed. Lacey grabbed a beaters bat and aimed a bludger right for a sensitive area of Williamsons at one point, then she accidentally knocked Jones off of his broom. He was fairly sure whatever budding romance had been between Lacey and Williamson was definitely over.

At the end of the day, Harry just wanted to go to bed, but he couldn’t, it was only 8pm and he needed to go to the Burrow to give the Weasley’s presents and to say Merry Christmas.

“Daph. Molly invited you, do you want to come with me?” Harry asked.

Daphne frowned at him, “Aren’t the Weasley’s basically your adopted family?” she asked.

Harry nodded, “Yeah, so if it’s too much too soon then I understand. Molly is pretty full on anyway, she will probably hug you then grill you about every aspect of your life and our relationship-” he rambled.

Daphne smiled broadly, “She sounds great. I’ll come with you.”

Harry looked up in surprise, that wasn’t the reaction he had expected, “Alright.”

They put their winter cloaks on and set off across the grounds. Harry gave Daphne the co-ordinates and they apparated together to the Burrow.

At the fence outside the Burrow, Harry smiled when he saw all of the bright lights inside. He took Daphne’s hand and said, “It doesn’t matter how long I’m gone for, coming here always feels like coming home.”

Daphne smiled and squeezed his hand. They walked up the path and let themselves into the house as Harry always had, “Hey! We’re here!” he called as he walked into the living room which was full of people and warmth.

“Harry!” Molly said as she got to her feet and hugged Harry, “And you brought Daphne! Oh Ginny said you might, I’m so glad! Daphne, it’s lovely to meet you!”

The Weasley men rolled their eyes as Molly hugged Daphne tightly. Daphne laughed, “Pleasure to meet you Molly, Harry talks about you all of the time.”

Molly looked at Harry tearfully, “Does he? Oh bless you dear.”

Harry introduced the rest of the Weasley’s to Daphne and exchanged pleasantries with those that he didn’t see that often. Then he gave out the presents and sat down with Ron and Ginny. Ron was here on his own, as was Ginny apart from the one year old boy that she was rocking.

“Hey mate,” Harry said as he hugged Ron. He then smiled at Ginny, “Merry Christmas Gin,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek.

“Merry Christmas,” Ginny said, “And it’s nice to officially meet you Daphne, I know you two had to be careful last night with the press around.”

Ron nodded, “You just missed Hermione mate. She was here for an hour or so.”

“Oh, was she?” Harry asked.

“That’s probably a good thing,” Ginny yawned, “With you two having a time out.”

Harry nodded, “Probably,” he agreed. Although it felt strange not to see Hermione on Christmas day, “Did she come alone?”

Ron snorted, “Of course she did. Do you think she’s stupid enough to bring Malfoy _here_?”

“I suppose not,” Harry agreed.

Before they could discuss the matter anymore, not that there was much to discuss anyway, Molly offered them eggnog and mince pies. They gratefully accepted the offer and spent a good couple of hours introducing Daphne to Weasley family life before heading back to Hogwarts.

Molly had offered them the spare bedroom as it was getting late, but Harry apologised and told her that he had patrol that night, “The students are always getting up to something over the holidays when the school is empty.”

Ron chuckled and said, “Make sure they don’t break into the restricted section!”

This made Harry laugh as he remembered his first Christmas at Hogwarts with Ron, he kissed Molly on the cheek and said goodbye to the others then he and Daphne made their way out of the backdoor of the Burrow.


	13. New Starts

“Thank you for coming to see me Miss. Scott,” Harry said, when the girl sat down in his office the following morning.

Maisie nodded, “I’m sorry sir-”

“No, you have nothing to apologise for,” Harry assured her, “That is not what this is about. Professor MacMillan has been dismissed with immediate effect due to his inappropriate behaviour. You had accidentally ingested alcohol and he took advantage of you, so if you wished you would be within your rights to press charges against him.”

Maisie frowned, “Like make him go to jail?”

“Take legal action against him, yes,” Harry replied.

Maisie shook her head, “No, I don’t want that. He just kissed me, but the whole thing just creeps me out. Professor MacMillan is so weird and…ugh, I would _never_.”

“I know,” Harry assured her, “Are you sure you’re feeling okay about the whole thing? I can get you some counselling sessions.”

“I don’t need counselling sir,” Maisie assured him, “But I appreciate your concern.”

Harry gave her a long look, he was trying to determine if she was telling the truth or just trying to hold it together. After a moment he nodded, “Alright, but Lacey will tell me if you’re lying to me. She’s under oath as my prodigy.”

Maisie laughed, “I promise sir, I’m fine. What’s going to happen with Ancient Runes now though sir?”

“I will need to find a replacement,” Harry said, “And quickly, before the rest of the students come back. But don’t you worry about that, just enjoy your Christmas break okay?”

“Okay, thanks Professor. Potter.”

***

“Daphne, baby, help me.”

Daphne looked up from her marking and raised an eyebrow at him, “Wow, you really are desperate for a new Ancient Runes teacher.”

“Yes,” Harry despaired, “I’ve asked anyone that I can think of to cover for a while until I can find a new, permanent teacher but Daph, nobody will do it.”

“That’s because everyone thinks the Ancient Runes job is a shitty desk job you take when your career is over,” Daphne pointed out.

“I know, but how can I change that?”

“I don’t know Harry. Isn’t that the kind of thing Headmasters are supposed to work out?” She asked, smirking at him.

“Don’t you know anyone who might do it?” Harry practically begged, “I couldn’t even get Bill to come and do it, that was with offering him and the kids free board in the castle.”

“Why wouldn’t he do that?” Daphne asked curiously, “I thought he would have been thrilled to spend some more time with Fleur.”

“From what he said, I think he’s kind of enjoying a bit of a break from her,” Harry said with an amused chuckle, “He loves her don’t get me wrong, but you’ve met Fleur. She’s a bit…full on.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Daphne said with a smile.

“So do you know anyone?” Harry asked again.

Daphne put her quill down and looked at him, “I might know one person that I vaguely knew in school. I know she worked as a curse breaker for a little while so I will ask her but it is a longshot okay?”

“A longshot is better than nothing,” Harry said, “Thank you, you are a super star!”

“I know,” Daphne smirked.

***

“Good morning Neville,” Harry said, pushing a cup of coffee into his friends hands, “Ready for our pre-term meeting?”

“As ready as ever,” Neville said with a raised eyebrow, “You know I hate being Assistant Head.”

“I know, but unfortunately you are good at it so suck it up,” Harry said matter of factly, “So first on today’s agenda-”

“What the hell are we going to do about our Ancient Runes problem?” Neville guessed.

“No,” Harry said brightly, “Because it is no longer a problem. Daphne got me in contact with someone so our new temporary Ancient Runes professor arrives the same night that the kids get back from their holidays.”

“Alright,” Neville said, “So what is on the agenda then?”

“Well in addition to the usual school year things; you know getting the kids ready for O.W.L’s and N.E.W.T’s; we also have two more tasks in this tournament coming our way,” Harry said, “And we need to decide if we’re doing anything for Valentine’s Day this year.”

“Let’s just give them a day in Hogsmeade like McGonagall always did,” Neville said.

“Deal,” Harry agreed, “That part was easy. So the second task is going to be in February, I know nothing about it but it shouldn’t interfere with the kids studying too much. The third task is going to fall after final exams too, thankfully.”

“Speaking of final exams, are you okay if I scrap the written aspect of the Herbology exam and replace it with a paper?” Neville asked, “I’ve noticed that the kids struggle to answer boring questions but they like the free-talk aspects of my classes so I thought they might do better if they could pick a subject, research it and write about it.”

“Great idea,” Harry said, “Consider that my approval. Any other suggestions from the staff?”

“Charlie is still asking for access to the forest for a centaur class,” Neville said, glancing down at his notepad.

“And I’m still saying no,” Harry said firmly.

“Trelawney has requested a new ladder because hers has lost its aura,” Neville said.

Harry rolled his eyes, “In other words, it’s getting a bit worn and the crazy old bat refuses every time someone offers to put stairs in. Grant the request for a new ladder to keep her quiet.”

Neville scribbled something down then said, “Oh and Minerva suggests that you start looking for a new Transfiguration teacher as soon as possible if you want someone competent.”

“I know, I had someone lined up for it but I don’t think that’s going to work out now,” Harry sighed, “I’ll get on it as soon as possible.”

“That’s everything then,” Neville said, shutting his notepad.

“Great,” Harry said, he got to his feet and clapped his hands together, “See you at the feast tomorrow.”

***

While they were waiting for the students to come back the following day, the teachers were all whispering about the identity of the new Ancient Runes professor.

“I don’t know what you are all so excited about,” Neville muttered, “She’s going to be an old bat, the Ancient Runes professors always are.”

Daphne looked down to hide a smirk as Draco nodded his agreement, “You have a point, they never were any younger than what, 90?”

This made the others chuckle, but Harry shot Daphne a knowing grin. They were the only people who knew the identity of their new professor.

“Woah…who is that?” Draco asked.

They all looked up to see who he was referring to. A woman, who looked around the same age as them, had just walked into the hall. She was fairly short and she had jet black hair, piercings and two tattooed arms.

“That’s Lillian Moon, our new Ancient Runes Professor,” Harry replied.

Neville’s eyes widened as she reached the Head table, “Lilly!”

The woman grinned back at him, “Neville! It’s been what, 4 years?”

“Something like that,” Neville said, he hugged her, “How have you been?”

“Great, I’ve been all over the place,” Lilly said eagerly, “Did you ever do all that travelling that you talked about when I saw you last?”

“No,” Neville said, regret flashed through his eyes, “I never really got around to it. I sort of fell into the job here and that was that.”

“Oh you so have to show me around your greenhouses,” Lilly said, “I bet you have some really interesting stuff back there. Do you still have Audrey? She was just a sapling when I left you in Columbia.”

“She actually just died, but I have Audrey II, I took a cutting when I figured Audrey wasn’t going to make it,” Neville explained.

“Aw man, that is sad news,” Lilly said sincerely, “Hey, I’m going to dump my bags but we have got to catch up later okay?”

“Alright, see you later,” Neville said.

As Lilly left the great hall, Neville realised that the other staff members were all staring at him.

“What?” Neville asked self-consciously.

“What was that?” Harry asked, unable to hide his amusement.

“What? I know her, is that a crime?” Neville asked with a raised eyebrow, “When I was out in Columbia trying to win Luna back. You know after I let her go then changed my mind a few months later and ran after her?”

Harry nodded.

“But she had already met that Rolf guy,” Neville shrugged, “I decided to spend some time there examining the plant life and Lilly was breaking some curse on this ancient temple there. We hit it off, but I haven’t seen her since.”

“Yeah you definitely hit it off,” Draco said, he shot the Gryffindor an amused look, “I could feel the sexual tension all the way over here.”

“Shut up Malfoy?” Neville said, while trying to hide a blush.

“Or what Longbottom?”

Neville drew his wand and Draco jumped.

“Twitchy little ferret, aren’t you Malfoy?” Neville joked.

Draco glared at him, “Funny,” he said sarcastically.

“I also sensed that sexual tension to be fair,” Daphne piped up, “Sorry Neville.”

Harry grinned and slapped his friend on the back, “Hey, you go Nev. She is-” he caught sight of Daphne who was watching him through narrowed eyes so he backtracked, “- a nice person. I thought that when I was interviewing her, she seems like a very nice person.”

Draco snorted at Harry’s obvious dodge, and even Daphne shook her head in amusement.

Luckily for Neville, at that point, the students filed back into the hall from the carriages and their conversations came to a stop. Lilly came back halfway through dinner and Harry made an announcement that went along the lines of, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Professor MacMillan has had to leave us so for the remainder of the term Professor Moon will be teaching Ancient Runes.” This of course got some cheers and whistles from the male population of the school which Harry shut down straight away.

***

“Woah, you have every single species of venomous tentacula in here,” Lilly said eagerly when she found Neville in the greenhouses later.

“And a few that I cross-bred,” Neville told her proudly, “It’s not quite the same without Audrey though, she was my favourite.”

Lilly raised an eyebrow at him, “Wow Neville, you’ve really gotten attached to your plants haven’t you?”

“Well,” Neville said, “There’s not really much more to get attached to when you’re a Herbology professor surrounded by a bunch of kids. It doesn’t help that everyone in this school thinks I’m their personal bloody therapist. I mean, if Hermione doesn’t stop floo-ing me in the middle of the night to tell me how in love with Draco Malfoy she is, I think I’m going to disconnect my fireplace.”

“Hermione and Draco Malfoy?” Lilly chuckled, “Wow, I totally called that one back in school.”

“Really?” Neville asked in surprise, “Nobody else quite gets it.”

“Oh no way, I saw it way back in like 3rd year,” Lilly said, she pushed herself up onto his desk and continued, “It was pretty obvious. All of the Slytherins I was friends with could see it too, they knew that was why he teased her and why he hated Harry so much. It was obvious that Hermione had a crush on Harry too, I always thought Hermione might go for him in the end.”

“I think she thought that for a while too,” Neville mused, “But then Malfoy showed up for the tournament and…”

“Boom,” Lilly smirked.

Neville laughed, “Something like that yeah.”

“What about you? Have you been dating?” Lilly asked curiously, she picked up a journal on his desk and began to flick through it.

“Not really,” Neville replied, “There have been a couple of people, but never anyone serious. What about you?”

“Oh, the same,” Lilly replied, “Nobody that I wanted to stay in one place for. There was this girl in Brazil and a guy in Puerto Rico but nobody who really got me, you know?”

Neville nodded thoughtfully, “I know.”

“This is really cool, is this your personal journal?” Lilly asked.

“One of them, I have one for each greenhouse,” Neville replied.

“It’s awesome. Merlin Neville, you need to travel more. If you produced stuff like this on research trips, you could write books,” Lilly said, she reached over absentmindedly and grabbed one of the pods that tasted like vanilla. She put it in her mouth and chewed it while she flicked through the pages.

Neville smiled at her, “Are you just going to make yourself at home?”

“Pretty much, I’m happier in a greenhouse or a forest than in a castle,” Lilly said offhandedly, “That’s my only objection with this job, the stuffy old castle.”

“I know what you mean,” Neville said, “That’s why the greenhouse is my office to be honest. Why did you agree to come back and teach Ancient Runes? Aren’t you loving life travelling the world?”

“I love travelling, but coming home for a little while was appealing,” Lilly said honestly, “That and Daphne kind of blackmailed me into it.”

Neville snorted, “What does she have on you?”

“She was my best friend for the last two years of school so _a lot_,” Lilly said, shooting Neville an amused look, “But I was kind of missing home anyway. I mean there are so many people that I haven’t seen for so long like you. It’s kind of refreshing that you haven’t changed much in 4 years.”

“Neither have you,” Neville admitted, “Give it or take a tattoo or you know, 10.”

Lilly grinned at him, “Not your average Ancient Runes professor, eh?”

Neville shook his head and smiled at her, “No, definitely not,” he said, unable to hide the tinges of lust in his voice.

***

Classes began again and life went back to normal. Harry and Hermione didn’t have any contact what so ever, no floo calls, not even any letters regarding the tournament and the longer they went without the contact, the harder it got for Harry.

The days dragged by and became weeks and Harry still hadn’t seen Hermione, she hadn’t dropped by for lunch and although he had wanted too he hadn’t gone to see her because he wasn’t sure if she wanted him to or not.

It was a Monday that brought things home for him, it had been about 2 weeks since he had seen Hermione, but it felt like longer. His morning had been very boring so far; he had taught 1st years which wasn’t really fun for him because the magic was so easy, he could do those classes in his sleep.

Then in his free period, his _only _free period of the week, he had been forced to deal with the board of governors. After that he had a small break and then double 7th years which was his favourite part of the day.

He walked into the class and smiled as he started to explain that they were talking about general tactics today. Because of that, it was going to be a bit of a brainstorming class for the first half hour or so.

“So I’m going to throw some questions out and I want creative answers,” Harry said after he had explained this, “The first situation. Imagine you were camping and you were worried you were being followed. How would you protect the campsite?”

Maisie stuck her hand up straight away and shouted out a couple of spells.

Then Lacey said, “Well it wouldn’t be difficult. You could do it with a few spells if you used the right ones.”

“Correct,” Harry said proudly, “Which spells?”

Lacey then listed off the same 3 spells Hermione had used when they had been on the run in the war, and Harry was proud, but he just wanted to tell Hermione. He sighed, but got on with the class and when it was over and it was lunch time, all he wanted to do was talk to Hermione. He wanted to tell her about his class, and about the awful governors and the stupid suggestions for the school that they had come up with.

This was what led to him saying to Daphne the moment he reached the great hall, “Would it be weird for me to show up in Hermione’s office to tell her I miss her?”

Daphne looked over at her boyfriend, “It has been a few weeks since you spoke. Do you think that’s long enough for everything to settle?”

Harry sighed, “All I know is that every time something big happens, I just want to talk to Hermione and I keep getting jealous about the fact that Hermione is going to Neville instead of me about stuff with Draco.”

“So you’re okay with her gushing to you about Draco?” Daphne asked, “Because if you go in there to mend your fences, you have to be okay with that.”

“I think I’m okay with that,” Harry said honestly, “Seeing Draco singing the praises of muggles and talking about the merits of electricity and toasters,” he smiled slightly, “It makes me see why they work.”

Daphne smiled too, “Then no, I don’t think it would be weird at all. It’s normal to miss your best friend, especially when you and Hermione have been through what you have together.”

***

10 minutes later Harry knocked on Hermione’s office door.

“Come in!”

Harry opened the door and was pleased to see Hermione grin when she saw him, “Harry, hey!” she said happily.

Harry sat down across from her and said, “Hey, I brought food, and coffee.”

“Ah, I need it,” Hermione admitted with a chuckle, she did have slight bags under her eyes.

“I wasn’t sure whether you wanted to see me or not,” Harry admitted as Hermione opened the bag he had put on the table.

“I’m always happy to see you,” Hermione promised, “And I feel like time has done us some good. Don’t you?”

Harry nodded, “I’ve been getting jealous and it’s going to sound ridiculous but…I want you to stop calling Neville to talk about what’s going on with Draco. He keeps complaining about it, but I miss it.”

Hermione smiled at him, “He gives terrible advice and he doesn’t even bother coming to the fireplace half the time. It’s not the same.”

“You know I’d get out of my bed at half 2 to hear you rant, or gush, whichever one you need,” Harry said as he placed a coffee cup in front of her.

“I know,” Hermione smiled, “So does this mean you’re okay with Draco now?”

“Yeah, I’m okay with it,” Harry said with a grin, “When he spent an hour talking to me about how great electricity is, I figured you two were probably hitting it off.”

Hermione laughed out loud and leant forward, “Oh my gosh, he is obsessed with electricity Harry! Every time he comes to the flat, he’s asking how something works but he just cannot understand the television. I try to explain that it’s like books, some fact, some fiction but he just thinks it’s a race of tiny people living out their lives for our amusement.”

Harry laughed out loud at that, “And how does he feel about your family of founders cats?”

“Oh he struggled not to laugh when I told him the story,” Hermione said with a wave of her hand, “But that was on our first date and he’s still stuck around.”

“Obviously more of a cat guy than Sorenson then,” Harry said with a pointed look.

Hermione snorted, “Well that wouldn’t be hard would it? Sorenson hated the cats and I only had four then.”

“Only,” Harry chuckled, “Oh Hermione, I’ve really missed you. So much has been happening and I’ve just wanted to tell you about it, but I wasn’t sure if things had settled enough yet.”

“What stuff has been happening?” Hermione asked curiously, she sipped her coffee.

“Well, did you hear about Ernie?” Harry asked, leaning forward and checking that the door of the office was shut.

Hermione shook her head, “No. What did he do?”

“Well he was fired,” Harry said, “I had to dismiss him for gross misconduct. Two 7th year boys spiked the punch at the Yule Ball, I think you had left by this point.”

Hermione nodded, “I headed home a little early because my Mother was staying the night at the flat and I didn’t want to leave her there on her own.”

“I’m surprised that Draco didn’t tell you about this,” Harry said, “But technically, I did say that he wasn’t allowed to talk about it. Still, that didn’t apply to you. Anyway, I’m rambling sorry. So one of the 7th year girls got accidentally drunk and disappeared outside with Ernie.”

Hermione’s eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth.

“When I got to the garden, he was all over her,” Harry said with a shake of his head, “So I fired him on the spot.”

“Oh my god, that is disgusting!” Hermione said in disbelief, “I mean, I knew he was a sleazebag. He left me for someone younger but a teacher taking advantage of a student? That’s disgusting, she could press charges for that.”

“I know, but she doesn’t want to,” Harry assured her, “And we have a new teacher who Neville totally has the hots for. I don’t blame him either, don’t tell Daphne that I said this, but she’s fit. Like bad girl fit.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “Really? An Ancient Runes professor?”

“Oh this isn’t your ordinary Ancient Runes professor,” Harry said with a shake of his head, “This is a young, fit teacher with tattoos and piercings.”

“Really Harry?” Hermione asked in surprise, “I thought sophistication did it for you.”

“I would take Daphne over her in a heartbeat don’t get me wrong,” Harry said, “But even I can’t deny that there isn’t something hot about that bad girl look. And her and Neville are all over each other, she practically lives in his greenhouse.”

“Are we talking about Lillian Moon?” Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow, “Because Neville has mentioned her to me a few times over the last couple of weeks but we went to school with her Harry and she was a relatively quiet Ravenclaw.”

Harry laughed and whistled, “Oh, you will get a shock when you see her again then,” he said.

Hermione didn’t quite look convinced.

“I’ve really missed you Hermione. There have been so many times when something has happened and I’ve just wanted to talk to you about it. Like today for example, I’ve had the day from hell.”

“Go on,” Hermione said.

“I had 1st years this morning, and then I had to deal with the governors,” Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

“Ouch,” Hermione said with a smirk, “How bad were they?”

“Oh the usual,” Harry said casually, “They said I wasn’t running Hogwarts properly and that I was a fool like Dumbledore.”

“What did you do?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Told them that the Ministry were extremely happy with me, as proven by that survey the students had to do for them last month. I also showed them proof that grades have gotten better since I took over,” Harry smirked.

“You once told me that you didn’t have the mind for politics,” Hermione said with a chuckle, “I think Daphne is bringing out your Slytherin side.”

“Maybe,” Harry laughed.

“What did they say about funding?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Nothing actually,” Harry said, “But that’s thanks to you. The tournament is bringing in a lot of funding for the school from the Ministry and out with.”

“You’re welcome,” Hermione said, “I told you it would be good in the end.”

“You were right. As much as I didn’t want it in the beginning, I’m actually really enjoying it,” Harry said.

“I knew you would,” Hermione admitted,

For the next half an hour Harry tried to find out from Hermione what the next task was, and they talked about the more general things in life, like how she was, and what Ron had said in his latest letters, but the time passed far too quickly for them both.

“I need to get back to the school,” Harry said as he got to his feet and kissed Hermione on the cheek. He realised afterwards that it might have been too much, given the reason they had distanced themselves from each other but he had done it out of habit, “But I’ll drop by next week, if you want?”

“Sure,” Hermione said with a smile, and they said goodbye.

Harry found himself feeling much better when he got back to Hogwarts, having seen Hermione.

***

The weeks flew by after this meeting, Harry and Hermione stopped avoiding each other and started spending a lunch break a week catching up. After two weeks January merged into February and the second task loamed nearer.

Hermione dropped in to Harry’s office one Friday afternoon after classes had finished, to make some plans regarding the task.

“So are you needing to rush off or do you want to stay for dinner?” Harry asked Hermione once they had finished discussing plans for the tournament.

“I think I’ll come down to the great hall for dinner,” Hermione said, “After all, I still have to meet this hot new Ancient Runes professor you told me about.”

A voice from the top of the staircase said, “You’ve been telling Hermione that the new professor is hot, have you?”

Harry grimaced, “Thanks for dropping me in that one Hermione.”

Hermione smiled up at Daphne, “In all fairness Daphne, he also said he would take you over her any day of the week.”

“And twice on Sundays,” Harry chimed in.

Daphne rolled her eyes and joined them in the office, “While we’re on the subject of our hot new professor, I feel like I ought to tell you the truth about that.”

They all walked out of the office together and Harry said, “Okay?”

“I sort of lied when I said that she was someone I vaguely knew,” Daphne admitted, “She was actually my best friend in high school but I wasn’t sure if she would go for the job so I didn’t want to big her up too much.”

“How did you get her to take the job then?” Hermione asked curiously.

“And why am I not surprised that she was your best friend in high school?” Harry mused with a faraway look in his eyes.

“Harry, stop fantasising,” Hermione chided.

“Sorry,” Harry said sheepishly.

Daphne shook her head in amusement, “And in answer to your question Hermione, I sort of had to bribe her to get her back here.”

“What do you have on her?” Harry asked eagerly.

“A lot,” Daphne grinned, “But the thing that worked in the end was actually coercion. I told her that Neville worked here and that he was single and lonely.”

“Why would that make her come back?” Harry asked cluelessly.

“Because she always had a crush on him when we were in school together,” Daphne replied.

“She had a crush on him?” Harry asked in disbelief, “But…she’s _her _and he’s Neville. That’s like you having a crush on me in high school Daphne!”

“Well, I did, so I guess that proves my point,” Daphne smirked.

Harry stared at her in disbelief for a moment while Hermione sniggered.

“I just can’t believe it,” Harry said with a shake of his head.

“Stop being so harsh on Neville,” Hermione scolded him, “Neville is a great guy and any girl would be lucky to have him. Hey, if I was single, I would date Neville.”

A tut sounded from behind them, “And here was me thinking that you had developed standards lately.”

Hermione smiled at Draco, “Hey. How are you?”

“I’m good,” Draco said, slipping an arm around her, “How are you?”

“Stressed,” Hermione admitted, “But that’s hardly surprising with the second task around the corner.”

“True,” Draco said, “Oh how is Merlin doing by the way? Is his paw still sore from that thorn I pulled out last week?”

“No, he’s doing good now.”

Harry rolled his eyes at Daphne, “That’s domestic, scarily domestic.”

“Who would have thought Draco Malfoy would fall for a crazy cat lady,” Daphne joked as they all stepped into the great hall together. They kept up their own conversations until they took their seats at the head table. Neville was standing at the far end of the table talking to Lilly and Hermione’s eyes widened when she saw the woman.

Lilly smiled and waved at her from along the table so Hermione walked over to talk to her.

“Wow Lilly…you have changed,” Hermione said in surprise.

“You haven’t Hermione,” Lilly chuckled, “Well apart from the rebellious attitude of course. Who would have thought the righteous Hermione Granger would ever date the bad boy, ex-Death Eater Draco Malfoy after all, right?”

“Well, Hermione has developed a bit of thing for bad boys since you left to travel the world,” Neville said.

Hermione chuckled and nodded, “Yeah, that is a fair comment. 3 out of 5 ex boyfriends were bad boy Slytherins so…”

“Either way, it’s good to see you Hermione,” Lilly said genuinely, “It’s been too long.”

“It has been,” Hermione agreed, “So what brought you back? Were you missing the Scottish scenery, or was it the weather?”

Lilly laughed, “No, it was the people actually.”

“Oh that’s funny,” Hermione said, “That’s sort of the same reason why Draco came back.”

Lilly smiled, “I guess we all leave a bit of unfinished business behind when we move away.”

“I guess so,” Hermione agreed, “Anyway, I’ll see you around. I’ll be popping back and forth until the tournament is over.”

“And if you keep hanging out in my greenhouse, you’ll see her do the walk of shame out of Draco’s ship at all hours,” Neville joked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Funny Neville. See you around Lilly.”

“See you around Hermione.”

***

“Okay you’re right, she did get bad girl hot,” Hermione muttered to Harry when she took her seat.

“Told you,” Harry whispered back.

“And she definitely wants Neville,” Hermione added for Daphne’s benefit.

Daphne smirked, “I know. I’m sure you will see plenty of her this year. After all, she likes to hang out in Neville’s greenhouses which are really close to the ship that you are always sneaking off of.”

“How does _everyone _know about that?” Hermione asked in disbelief.

“Because you’re about as stealthy as a bull in a china shop Hermione,” Harry said, shooting her a grin.

Draco nodded his agreement, “Even some of the Durmstrang boys have noticed and none of them are all that bright, trust me.”

Hermione rolled her eyes as they all ganged up on her. But truthfully, she wasn’t that bothered. She was just happy that things had gone back to normal between her and Harry and that everyone seemed happy again.


	14. Old Friends and Old Flames

Harry couldn’t believe how fast time had gone, before he knew it there was only a week until the second task. At the end of his last period 7th year class he asked Lacey to wait behind and didn’t talk to her until the rest of the nosy class had filed out of the room.

“Are you ready for the task yet?” Harry asked the Slytherin.

Lacey bit her lip, “Uh…”

“Right, that’s what I thought. We’ll have our pre-task meeting tonight in my office at 7pm,” Harry said, he could be the cool Headmaster, but he was tough when he needed to be, “You need to know what you’re doing in advance, trust me.”

“But sir, you won,” Lacey said with a frown.

Harry chuckled and said, “Don’t let that fool you. I got by on luck, but it’s not a very reliable thing to go on.”

Lacey smiled slightly, “I think I have it figured out.”

“Well tell me your ideas later,” Harry said as they walked towards the door together, “And I’ll let you know if they’re any good.”

“Hey, my ideas got me through the first task!” Lacey said vaguely offended.

“That and the fact you cheated to find out what the first task was,” Harry pointed out as they walked to the great hall together.

“Do you know what the second task is?” Lacey asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately not,” Harry admitted, “I did try to get Miss. Granger to tell me, but she wouldn’t relent.”

“Ah well. It was worth a try,” Lacey said, “See you tonight Professor Potter.”

***

When 7pm came, there was a knock on the door and Harry removed his feet from his desk and called, “Come in!”

Lacey walked in cheerfully, “Good evening Professor Potter.”

“Good evening Miss. Nott,” Harry said, watching her with amusement as she sat down in the chair across from his desk.

“So, what do you want to know?” Lacey asked as she took the map that was the clue to the second task from her bag and laid it on the table.

“First of all, I need to talk to you about Mr. Williamson,” Harry said as he leant forward on his elbows.

Lacey frowned, “Why? I ended that before it could even start. He could have gotten Maisie in real trouble with his stupid Gryffindor prank, no offence sir.”

“None taken,” Harry promised, “So there are no boys then? No distractions.”

“No distractions,” Lacey promised.

“Good,” Harry said with a nod, “So how prepared are you?”

“Well I translated the runes,” Lacey said and she pulled out a sheet of paper, “I couldn’t translate them at first because they aren’t any of the runes we learn in Ancient Runes.”

“What kind of runes are they then?” Harry asked curiously, this wasn’t his best area so he found it interesting.

“Well it’s weird because it is a dead language, but the strange thing is that it is actually a dead Muggle language,” Lacey said, she did seem fascinated by this.

“That’s clever, how did you work it out?” Harry asked, he was smiling slightly because that was just like Hermione to mix it up like that. After all, these Wizarding kids would be expecting a Wizarding language.

“Well I spoke to Professor Moon, she is awesome sir. I wish you had hired her years ago,” Lacey said.

“You and half the males in this school,” Harry said with a slight smile, “You do realise that’s cheating, don’t you?”

“And? It’s only a problem if someone finds out,” Lacey said with a Slytherin-esque smirk.

“Very true,” Harry smiled, “What did Professor Moon have to say about it?”

“Well she’s a Muggle-born sir so she recognised the language straight away when I showed her the script,” Lacey said, “She didn’t help me too much, but she told me that it was Egyptian hieroglyphics and made me research the rest myself.”

“Okay, go on,” Harry said.

“Well it’s complicated. The Muggles call runes hieroglyphs because they consist of pictographs as well as text symbols, but then there are sub-languages and more sub-languages within them. I borrowed a book from Professor Moon about it and I finally found the script. The symbols are derived from Egyptian hieroglyphs but rather than being cursive and therefore the official language as it were, they are demotic which is the least formal form of the language,” Lacey said, she rattled this all off sounding very Hermione-like which made Harry smile.

“Now forgive me, but I never took Ancient Runes, what does that mean?” Harry asked, feeling very useless.

“Um,” Lacey said as she tried to phrase it differently, “Cursive is like the official documents the Ministry write, hieratic is like the semi-official documents you and the heads of department write and demotic is like the scribbles and informal letters you send without thinking too much about how neat it is.”

“I assume that also makes it the hardest to translate,” Harry guessed.

Lacey nodded, “Tell me about it, but I got there in the end. I know what the four words say.”

She then pointed at the map and said, “Squid…Mermaid…Serpent…Demon.”

“Alright,” Harry said, glad he could finally help, “So the task is in the lake. They are so unoriginal, my second task was in the lake too.”

At this Lacey laughed, Harry smiled, “So do the runes match up to the symbols?”

“Yes, the first rune of each word links to a symbol,” Lacey said as she pointed to it, “So that’s the squid, and there’s the serpent on the other side, the demons up there and the mermaids at the other end.”

“Well the squid obviously refers to the Giant Squid and he’s harmless so you don’t have to worry about that, the mermaid refers to Merpeople I’d guess, and they aren’t so harmless.”

Lacey chuckled, the whole school knew how much he hated Merpeople, “So run away as opposed to fight?”

“Run away or try to outwit them,” Harry advised, “Serpent could refer to a Kelpie but I highly doubt it because they are _really _dangerous.”

“How do you know sir?” Lacey asked curiously.

“I’ve met one,” Harry admitted, “I once went to see the famous Kelpie who goes by ‘Nessie’, the thing nearly killed me and I’m a skilled wizard. They wouldn’t put one to kids.”

“So it’s probably just a sea serpent then,” Lacey said.

“Likely, and they are pretty harmless too. They have sharp teeth but they won’t attack unless you provoke them, they’ll just try and frighten you to get you to leave them alone.”

“What about demons? Does that refer to a Kappa?”

“It could do,” Harry said thoughtfully, “But I think it’s more likely to refer to Grindylows.”

“And how do I deal with them?” Lacey asked as she bit her lip.

“If you blast them with your wand underwater they will get burned and swim away, but if you can avoid going through deep weeds then you shouldn’t swim into their territory,” Harry said as he surveyed the map, “So the other symbols tell you a creature or danger is there but you don’t know what it is,” he realised, “You need to use the four creatures you do know about to navigate a safe way from one side of the lake to the other side where that cross is.”

“Maybe it’s a clue for the third task at the other side,” Lacey said.

Harry frowned, he didn’t think so but he nodded, “Maybe.”

He debated telling Lacey about his task, and the fact that in his case the X marked people, but he knew it would worry her, she would be better to find out on the day of the task if that was the case.

“You’ll need a way of breathing underwater,” Harry said to the champion, “I assume this is all underwater as opposed to swimming across the lake from the surface.”

“What did you use sir?” Lacey asked.

“I used Gillyweed,” Harry told her, “But it only lasts an hour and it isn’t very reliable.”

“I could use a bubble-head charm,” Lacey mused thoughtfully.

“That could work,” Harry agreed, “Now, how are you going to locate North on that map?”

“I don’t know,” Lacey admitted.

Harry stood up and said, “I thought as much, follow me.”

Lacey followed Harry up the stairs on the right side of his office to a glass door. He opened it and they walked out into the chilly night air. This balcony looked out onto the grounds.

“May I?” Harry asked as he held out his hand for the map, Lacey nodded and handed it over to him. Harry examined it and kept glancing at the real lake, he was comparing the edges.

“The sun rises in the east,” Harry said as he handed the map back to Lacey, “Look at it this way and look at the lake.”

Lacey stepped forward and looked out of the balcony, she marked the side of the lake the sun set at and marked the other side as ‘west’ on the map.

“So north is up on the map,” Lacey said as she looked down, “The challenge will start on the lawn, and finish by the tree line.”

“I believe so,” Harry said as they left the balcony and he shut the door.

“Thank you sir, for your help with this,” Lacey said sincerely when they were back in the main office.

“I’ve done it myself Miss. Nott and I had people there to help me, I think it’s only fair that you have that too,” Harry said with a smile.

“I think I’m ready for it,” Lacey said confidently.

“Good,” Harry said, “I have faith in you.”

“Thanks Professor Potter.”

Harry gave her a nod, “Alright then, on you go, and no wandering the corridors.”

Lacey grinned and nodded, “Goodnight Professor Potter.”

“Goodnight Miss. Nott,” Harry replied as Lacey left the office.

***

Around 5 minutes after Lacey had left, the floo roared to life and Hermione stepped out of it.

“Hey, I was just thinking about you,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“Were you?” Hermione asked as she sat down on the sofa, she looked exhausted.

Harry nodded, “Lacey just worked out the map. That was very clever of you, using a Muggle language for the runes on the map.”

“Thank you,” Hermione grinned, “How did you figure it out?”

Harry scoffed, “_I _didn’t, don’t you remember how bad I was with those sort of subjects in school?”

“True,” Hermione said in amusement.

“Lacey figured it out, she’s resourceful that way,” Harry informed Hermione.

“And how do you know this?” Hermione asked with narrowed eyes.

“I literally just had a meeting with her,” Harry replied.

“You do realise that I know that you’ve been cheating,” Hermione said, she was smirking, “I know you told her about the 1st task.”

“I know you do, but you also told Theodore Nott so…” Harry trailed off.

“That was one favour, okay? But you have been having secret meetings with her all year,” Hermione said irritably.

“Yes I have, but I haven’t been cheating,” Harry said, “I’ve been giving subtle advice.”

“Giving advice qualifies as cheating,” Hermione said, “And you’ve never been subtle Harry.”

“Hermione,” Harry began as he leant against his desk, “As the only living winner of the Triwizard Tournament I am in a privileged position to give advice, would I abuse that?”

“Yes, you would,” Hermione said through her laughter, “But you may have noticed that I haven’t actually told you off for it. I want a Hogwarts champion too you know.”

“I know,” Harry said with a grin, “So what’s the second task?”

“You’re not getting that one out of me so easily,” Hermione said stubbornly.

“Fancy a bottle of wine?”

Hermione shot him an amused look, “That’s not going to work this time either.”

“Oh please, you said you wanted a Hogwarts winner,” Harry said with a smirk that Hermione mirrored.

“I do, but I happen to know the Hogwarts champion is the only one who has figured out the runes, so you already have an edge,” Hermione said sensibly, “Dating the Headmaster of Durmstrang comes in handy that way you know.”

“Ooh,” Daphne said as she slipped into the office from the grand staircase, “Betraying your boyfriend to help Hogwarts champion win. That is deliciously sneaky, I love it Hermione.”

Hermione just laughed.

“I guess all of these Slytherin influences have corrupted your perfect moral compass,” Daphne added as she helped herself to Harry’s firewhiskey.

“Clearly,” Hermione chuckled.

Harry laughed too, “Thank you for letting me know that the others don’t know. Any other hints? Oh and I know it’s on the lake _again _by the way, very original.”

“Okay don’t blame me for that,” Hermione said testily, “If I had it my way it would have been a dark labyrinth but no, the Minister said we had to _share _the duties so Susan got to pick this task. I mean I still get my labyrinth in the third task but it’s a tiny part of-”

“Ah hah! So there will be a dark labyrinth in the third task!” Harry said triumphantly.

“Shit!” Hermione cursed, realising what she had given away.

“I won’t tell Lacey, I promise,” Harry said, but Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “Show me your hands.”

“Why?” Harry asked innocently.

“Because I know you’re crossing your fingers,” Hermione said and Harry sheepishly showed her his crossed fingers.

“You’d tell her anyway,” Hermione said with an amused shake of her head, “Anyway, what I was saying was Susan got to plan this task. As I planned the first task I was still in charge of the clue but I had to work with Susan to make it a lake clue.”

“So it’s pretty much the same task we had,” Harry mused, his secret tactics to get information out of Hermione were working, “Swim underwater, avoid things, save someone.”

“I won’t say anymore,” Hermione said, back to being relentless, “All I will say is I had practically no say in it. Susan has done all the prep but _I’ve _had to do all the paperwork, and she gets to import everything,” Hermione rolled her eyes, “Thank Merlin I have control of the final task.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird, saying you thank Merlin when that is your cats name?” Daphne mused from where she sipped her firewhiskey, “Are you just really thankful for your cat?”

“How do you know that my cat is called Merlin?” Hermione asked the Slytherin girl.

“Draco may or may not have told me,” Daphne said with a smirk, “And he may or may not have had to stop several times because he couldn’t stop laughing.”

“I knew he found the cats names funny,” Hermione said with a shake of her head, “But he did a damn good job of holding in his laughter at the time.”

“The guy must have amazing self-control,” Harry joked.

Hermione shot him a glare, “Anyway, I came here for your benefit. Gin said to tell you that you have to go to St. Mungo’s on the 1st of March to start that trial.”

“Oh, okay,” Harry said, the light, happy mood gone, “I hate hospitals.”

“I know babe,” Daphne said, she put a glass of firewhiskey in his hands, “I’ll go with you?”

Harry nodded, “That would be nice if you don’t mind Daphne. What about work?”

“I’ll ask Draco to cover for me,” Daphne said, “He was decent enough at potions to wing it for an hour or so.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Hermione smiled at the interaction, “Well I had better head. I’ll see you soon about the second task.”

“See you later,” Harry agreed.

***

On Monday evening, Hermione appeared in Harry’s office with an entourage following her.

“Uh, what’s going on Hermione?” Harry asked as she walked in with Susan, Draco and Fleur.

“Susan and I need to talk to you about the second task,” Hermione informed him, “All of you that is.”

Harry clicked his fingers and extra chairs appeared. Everyone sat down and for the first time he felt like the authority figure behind the desk, he found he quite liked it.

“Susan, would you like to explain since this was _your _idea?” Hermione asked politely, but Harry smirked, that was the ‘polite’ tone she used with somebody she really couldn’t be bothered with.

“The champions are going to need to save a loved one to complete the task,” Susan informed them all, “We have some ideas in mind but we need to agree with the Headmaster or Headmistress first.”

“Okay,” Harry said, “Real original idea there Susan, but do go on.”

Susan glared at him then turned to Fleur first, “Madame Weasley, we-”

“There is no we,” Hermione said sharply, “I disagreed.”

Susan shot Hermione a dirty look and turned back to Fleur, “I thought that one of your children would be best, as Miss. Delacour is an Aunt to them.”

Fleur may have been blonde but sometimes she had the fire of a redhead, she got to her feet and seemed taller all of a sudden, “If you think you are taking one of my underage children and putting them under that lake, you have another thing coming! I know how many nightmares Gabrielle had after that and my eldest is even younger than she was then!”

“I agree Fleur,” Hermione said gently, aware of the daggers that Susan was sending her.

“Well then who?” Susan asked irritably.

“My Husband would oblige I’m sure,” Fleur said, still angry as she sat back down, “He is important to Gabrielle too. He has become like a brother to her.”

“Alright, that works,” Hermione said as she jotted this down, “And I know Bill will find it all a big fun adventure,” she added which made Fleur smile and agree.

Susan gritted her teeth and mumbled something rude about Hermione, Harry was trying very hard not to laugh.

“So Draco?” Susan said.

“Yes?” Draco asked in a drawl.

“For Agmund, his girlfriend from back home?” Susan asked as she checked her list.

“I think so,” Draco said, “He doesn’t have many friends and he has no family so Erika is probably the best choice.”

“Potter,” Susan said as she looked to Harry.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, “That’s Headmaster Potter to you. And seriously, what age are we?”

“We aren’t on polite social terms so I won’t call you by your first name,” Susan said curtly.

“No, you won’t call me by my first name because you’re offended,” Harry said with a smirk, “Because I laughed at you.”

“I’m not offended,” Susan lied, “Now your champion-”

“Her brother Theo,” Harry said before Susan could finish what she was saying.

Susan wrote this down, still glaring at Harry slightly.

“Theo will love that,” Draco said, shaking his head in amusement, “He’ll find it exciting.”

“Well you know what happens next,” Hermione said to them all, “I’ll bring them all here on Friday night and put them to sleep then early the next morning Susan and I will place them for the task.”

“And they won’t be hurt?” Harry asked carefully.

“No, no,” Hermione said, “It will be very similar to the last time we did this in a tournament.”

Harry nodded, “Alright,” he said as the group dispersed from his office.

***

With the anticipation for the second task, the week flew by. Before Harry knew it, it was Friday. Once more he knew that his last period 7th year class would be impossible so he had something up his sleeve for them.

The class walked in talking loudly and quieted down once they were in their seats.

“Who’s going to pay attention today?” Harry asked, and he wasn’t surprised when the only hand that shot up was Lacey’s.

“I thought as much,” Harry said in amusement. He pulled out a box of Bertie Botts beans, “Let’s have a quiz.”

There was a cheer, Harry’s quizzes were always fun, rather than testing.

“Who created the Philosophers Stone?”

“DUMBLEDORE!”

“No Jones, it wasn’t Dumbledore, and that’s a 2nd year level question,” Harry said in amusement as he threw a bean at the boys head.

“Nicholas Flamel,” Maisie Scott said from the front so Harry threw her a bean which she caught with a grin.

“Correct Miss. Scott. What does amortentia smell like?”

“Shit!” Williamson interjected.

“Only if the smell of shit attracts you Williamson, you plonker,” Harry said, throwing a bean at Williamson’s head.

“It smells like whatever attracts you,” Lacey piped up.

“Indeed Miss. Nott, have a bean!”

Lacey deftly caught the bean and ate it.

“What is Professor Longbottom’s favourite plant? And there’s an extra bean in it if you can name it,” Harry said.

A Hufflepuff girl shouted out, “Venomous Tentacula and the original one was called Audrey, but the new one is called Audrey II.”

“You only know that because you fancy him Emilia!”

The Hufflepuff girl blushed, “I do not Jones!”

“Jones, if you have nothing constructive to say, shut up,” Harry said, throwing an earwax bean at his head, “And Miss. Clark, good answer. Have some beans,” he said, turfing a handful of beans in her general direction.

Williamson snorted in amusement as his friend ate the earwax bean and gagged.

Harry smirked, “What creatures does the patronus charm protect against?”

“Dementors!” Williamson piped up.

“Half a bean for half an answer Williamson,” Harry said, biting a bean in half and lobbing the other half at the Gryffindor.

“But it is a dementor sir!”

“I said, what _creatures_, plural,” Harry pointed out.

Lacey shouted out, “Dementors and Lethifolds.”

Williamson groaned, “Aw come on brainbox, you don’t even like Bertie Bott’s.”

Lacey smirked at him, “Well Williamson, if you hadn’t been a douchebag to Maisie, I would still be sharing them with you.”

“A bean for the correct answer Miss. Nott, but please don’t call your fellow classmates douchebags,” Harry said, struggling to contain a chuckle.

“Sorry sir,” Lacey said with a slight smile.

“What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?” Harry asked, knowing full well that none of them would have a clue what he was talking about.

“What?”

“Yeah, what sir?”

“Would that be an African or European swallow?” A voice asked from the door.

Harry grinned and looked up, “Correct answer Professor Moon, have a bean.”

Lilly deftly caught it and smiled, “There is a guest in your office Headmaster. I told him you were teaching and he said that he was happy to wait.”

“No problem, thank you for letting me know Professor Moon,” Harry said.

Lilly turned to leave and Harry rolled his eyes when he looked back at the class, “Alright boys, eyes back to the front of the class please! Who was the world’s worst England Quidditch player?”

“Ludo Bagman!”

“Yes, thank you! I am glad you share that opinion Jones,” Harry said, to much laughter from the rest of the class. The remaining half hour of the class carried in on much the same vein, but Harry was curious about the person in his office.

***

Harry laughed when he saw that the guest in his office was Theodore Nott.

“Theo! What are you doing here?” Harry asked when he saw the man.

“Wondering what the hell you’ve volunteered me for,” Theo joked, “I heard something about a lake and being a captive? Sounds like that one time you forced me to hide in a lake for two fucking hours while spying on the Lestrange’s.”

Harry grinned, “Did I ever tell you that I had all the information I needed after half an hour?”

“You bastard!” Theo said, but then he grinned and hugged Harry, “Aw I’ve missed you man. What have you been up to?”

“Dating, getting screwed over, sleeping around like an arsehole, becoming Headmaster then dating again,” Harry joked.

“Who would have thought I’d be the settled one? I mean granted, I didn’t have much choice with the whole ‘marriage contract or disownment’ thing but I ended up with one hot wife so…”

Harry laughed, “Yeah your hot wife happens to have a hot sister, who I happen to be dating.”

“No way. You and Daphne? Merlin mate, I thought I was punching with Astoria but that is a whole new level,” Theo said with a shake of his head.

“Yeah I really am,” Harry agreed with a chuckle, “But in all seriousness, the lake thing is nothing to worry about. You’re going to get knocked out then you’ll wake up once you’re out of the water after the task finishes.”

“Oh I know, I actually came by to talk about Hermione,” Theo said, “I mean you know I dated her in school.”

“She finally got around to telling me about that by the way, 4 years after you did,” Harry said in amusement.

Theo shook his head, “And here was me thinking I was the one, but she didn’t even tell her best mate about me?”

“Sorry to burst your bubble Theo,” Harry snorted.

“Seriously though, she’s going to drag me into your office to knock me out and shove me in the lake which I suppose I deserve. I did kind of jump on the whole marriage contract thing too quickly…I know she thinks I’m selfish for choosing to go with the contract and not get disowned rather than choosing her but hey, I’m a selfish bastard so…” Theo shrugged.

“She hasn’t told me the truth about why it didn’t work out between you,” Harry admitted, “I mean I knew because you told me but she hasn’t told me yet.”

“I reckon she’s embarrassed,” Theo said honestly, “But either way, are we at the point of telling her we know each other know and explaining why?”

“I think so,” Harry admitted, “I mean, it has been 5 years.”

Theo nodded, “I thought the same thing so it’s good to know that we’re on the same page.”

“Yeah,” Harry said, “So how are the girls, Emmeline and Avianna isn’t it?”

“Emmie and Ava, yeah,” Theo said with a nod, “They are good. How is Daphne?”

Harry raised an eyebrow at him, “Good. If this is a comparison of sisters sort of chat, don’t you think we should have it in a pub, with plenty of firewhiskey?”

“Definitely,” Theo grinned, “After the task. I reckon I’ve got the hotter sister though.”

“Oh depends on your taste,” Harry teased as Theo walked to the door, “I’ve always preferred blondes to brunettes!”

“Yeah, but it’s a total lie that blondes have more fun,” Theo said, winking at Harry then saying, “See ya tonight then Harry.”

***

Later on that evening, Hermione came into the room with three people, two of which Harry recognised and knew. He hugged Bill and they exchanged pleasantries, then he shook Agmund’s girlfriend’s hand. Harry then turned to Theo.

“Potter,” Theodore said.

“Nott,” Harry replied curtly.

Theo then smirked, “Just kiddin’, good to talk to you again Harry.”

“You too Theo,” Harry said with a smile.

Hermione was watching this with a frown, “You two know each other?”

“Yeah, we’re just messing with you Hermione,” Theo grinned.

“I’ll fill you in later, Hermione,” Harry promised.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “You better. It’s good to see you by the way Theo.”

“And you,” Theo said politely.

“So what happens tonight?” Bill asked excitedly.

Hermione chuckled, “Nothing exciting Bill, just a sleeping draught. You will wake up tomorrow when you take your first breath above water.”

“And don’t worry it’s all perfectly safe,” Harry added with a smile.

“Does Lacey know?” Theo asked Harry.

Harry shook his head, “I had a feeling when I saw the clue that this might happen, but I knew telling her would scare her and she wouldn’t perform as well.”

Theo nodded his agreement and said, “She’ll do better finding out tomorrow.”

“That’s what I thought,” Harry said, glad that he had made the right decision.

“Is everyone ready?” Hermione asked. She then knocked out Erika first, and then Bill which left Harry and Hermione alone in the office with Theo.

“So Theo, how exactly do you know my best friend?” Hermione asked with narrowed eyes.

“It is a really long story,” Theo said.

Harry nodded, “Really long.”

Hermione sat down on the edge of Harry’s desk, “I have all night.”

“That is _my _desk!”

Hermione just raised an eyebrow at him.

“I have screwed Daphne on that desk, more than once!” Harry added.

Hermione jumped off the desk like it was on fire and Theo sniggered.

“Stop messing around and explain what is going on here!” Hermione snapped.

“Do you remember during the war, how I was getting information from somebody and I couldn’t tell you who it was?” Harry asked.

Hermione nodded slowly, “You said they died in the final battle so it didn’t matter, that was why I stopped pushing it.”

“You said I had died?” Theo asked in disbelief.

“I was about to say, well that person was Theo but he just fucked that bit up for me,” Harry said, shaking his head at the former Slytherin.

Hermione frowned, “So you mean you were good…before I made you good?”

“Hey, I was always good. I was never a Death Eater like your latest catch,” Theo objected, “But everybody just thought, Death Eater father, Slytherin, Pureblood, he must love torturing muggles. That’s a harsh stereotype coming from my first love.”

Hermione faltered, “I was your first love?”

“Obviously,” Theo said with a shake of his head, “How could you miss that? Do you think I just let anybody handcuff me to a-”

“That’s enough of that!” Hermione said, her cheeks flushing.

“Jesus Christ, that’s an image,” Harry said with a shake of his head, “Do I need to leave you two alone in a room together to get all this out into the open?”

“No we’re good,” Theo said, “But once this task is over, it would be good to have a walk around the grounds Hermione. I do owe you an apology and a proper explanation.”

“It’s a bit late, like 5 years too late,” Hermione said under her breath.

Harry sensed some tension between so he cut in, “Right, so that is you all caught up Hermione. We felt enough time had passed now that we could safely let you know.”

“I appreciate that,” Hermione said, “So are you ready to get knocked out?”

“Does knocking me out and chucking me in a lake make you feel better about the fact I broke your heart?” Theo asked curiously.

“Yes Theo, it gives me great satisfaction,” Hermione replied honestly.

“That’s fair,” Theo said with a nod, “Oh one last thing before you knock me out. Are you finally accepting the fact you like Slytherins by the way? You have quite a track record now.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Yes Theo, you were right. You set the precedence for every relationship I’ve had since you.”

Theo grinned, “I knew it.”

Hermione just shook her head then said, “Stupefy!”

Harry cocked his head and looked at Theo’s unconscious form, “You enjoyed that a bit too much.”

“Noticed that, did you?”

Harry nodded thoughtfully.

“Look Harry, I’m sorry that it took me so long to tell you about Theo,” Hermione said honestly.

“I’m sorry that we never told you about our wartime connection Hermione,” Harry said, “But in all fairness, Theo told me about you two like four years ago.”

Hermione had just finished putting Theo on a stretcher with the others, “Wait…what do you mean Theo told you four years ago?”

Harry grinned, “I thought I would just wait it out and see how long it would take you to tell me.”

Hermione shook her head in disbelief, “More and more these days, I see why that hat was desperate to put you in Slytherin.”

“You’re not the first person to tell me that lately,” Harry chuckled, “Must be Daphne’s influence.”

“Obviously,” Hermione said as she levitated the stretchers, “Now if you will excuse me, I am going to chuck my ex-boyfriend into the lake and I am going to enjoy it immensely.”

“You do that. Tell Draco I said hi on your way!”

“Fuck off Harry,” Hermione called in a sing-song voice as she left the office.

***

When Hermione walked into Draco’s cabin that night, he was instantly suspicious, “You are in a fantastic mood. Who did you hurt?”

“Oh nobody really,” Hermione smirked, “But I did just get to immobilise my ex-boyfriend and throw him into a lake then freeze it over and god it felt good to punish that bastard for leaving me to marry a fucking heiress.”

“Okay…note to self, never leave Hermione to marry an heiress,” Draco said, shooting her an amused smile.

“Unfortunately though, he will survive the ordeal with minimum distress,” Hermione added.

“That is unfortunate, considering that we are talking about Theodore Nott,” Draco agreed sincerely.

“Wasn’t he your friend?” Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Well…yes,” Draco said, “But he is also your ex-boyfriend so I think that means I have to not like him. Also, you’re scary than he is.”

Hermione shook her head and sat down on the edge of his bed.

“In all seriousness though Hermione, he really hurt you didn’t he?” Draco asked.

Hermione nodded, “Oh yeah, that was my first experience of having my heart broken. He wasn’t sure it would work in the real world, the reason for that being that he had just found out there was a marriage contract involving him. That boiled down to the choice of, marry someone of a certain status or get disowned and he chose his status and his money over love. Or at least I thought it was love…”

“Well, he’s an idiot then,” Draco said simply.

Hermione looked up at him, “Coming from you? Surely you are the perfect example of status over love.”

“Once upon a time, maybe,” Draco agreed, “But happiness is all that matters after all that we have seen in our short lifetimes. Who cares if I’m a lord with money and a manor if I don’t have anyone to share it with? I could live out my days in your tiny flat with you and your 1,000 cats and be a million times happier than I would be living out my life in my manor with a wife I didn’t love and children who resented me.”

“You know Draco, that was almost romantic,” Hermione said, smiling up at him, “If it hadn’t been for the fact you insulted my cats.”

Draco just smiled genuinely at her, and it told Hermione what she needed to know; he was being completely honest with her.


	15. The Second Task

The morning of the 26th of February was cold and chilly and Harry found himself shivering as he dressed and put on his multi-coloured robes, the ones Hermione had gotten for his Christmas.

He yawned and wandered out of his bedroom, he frowned as he looked out of the window and saw that it was snowing. Snow was common around Christmas time, but not usually in February, but then again this _was _Scotland.

He grabbed his cloak and stepped out onto his balcony to see how much the snow had laid on the ground and when he looked out at the grounds he gaped and said, “What the fuck has she done to my lake?”

“DAPHNE!”

Daphne rushed onto the balcony in her dressing gown, “What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously.

“What the _fuck _has she done to my fucking lake?” Harry fumed.

“It appears to be frozen, Harry. I didn’t think that this was that difficult for you to comprehend,” Daphne said, glaring at him.

“Why has she frozen my lake?” Harry asked irritably, “What about the giant squid? He doesn’t like the cold.”

“I’m sure Hermione will have made sure that he’s safe,” Daphne said as she placed a hand on his shoulder “Now come in and have a shower-”

“But my lake-”

“Will only be frozen for this task,” Daphne pointed out, “You need to calm down and remember that.”

“Daphne-”

“Harry, it’s just a lake,” Daphne said as she led him into the bedroom.

“But it’s _my _lake and that bitch has frozen it!”

“Harry, you’re more upset about the fact Susan messed with your lake than you are about the fact that the lake is frozen,” Daphne said knowingly, “Have a shower, get a coffee and grow a pair.”

“Fine,” Harry muttered under his breath as he headed for the bathroom, “Bloody bitch, messing with my lake.”

***

When Harry saw Hermione that morning he cornered her, “Hermione!”

“What’s wrong with you?” Hermione asked when she saw Harry’s face.

“Hermione,” Harry said in an angry undertone, “What the fuck has she done to my lake?”

“You should think yourself lucky,” Hermione retorted, “It could have been worse.”

“How?” Harry asked, still fuming at the state of the lake.

“She wanted to freeze the Quidditch Pitch and put it there,” Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

Harry looked like his eyes might pop out of his head, “What?! Why? Why would someone do that? Why would the _Head _of the Department of Magical _Sports _want to freeze a Quidditch pitch?”

“I think to spite you more than anything else,” Hermione said with a smirk.

“Why didn’t she in the end?” Harry asked, he was cooling down slightly.

“Harry, the Minister might want to push for a more co-operated tournament,” Hermione said with a slightly wicked smirk, “But I have the final say, there was no way I was letting her do that.”

Harry sighed in relief, “Thank Merlin for that Hermione. But why is my lake frozen?”

“For the second task,” Hermione said simply, “You will find out soon enough.”

They reached the great hall and Harry glared at the redhead at the table and muttered, “This is why Hufflepuff’s shouldn’t be in charge of anything.”

***

Lacey was nervous that morning. Well, of course she was, this wasn’t something to be taken lightly. On her way out here she had been blindfolded, but she felt the cold and the snow, she had a feeling that this wasn’t quite what she had imagined at first.

She was pacing up and down in the champions tent when Harry walked in and smiled at her, “Hey, how you feeling?”

“Like I’m going to throw up,” Lacey answered honestly.

Harry chuckled, “You’ll be fine.”

“It’s not just a lake task, is it?” Lacey asked, she looked Harry right in the eye, “I felt the snow, it’s frozen, isn’t it?”

Harry glanced around and gave her a small nod, she took a sharp intake of breath but said no more as the other champions were nearby.

“Even if it isn’t exactly what we thought it was I still have faith in you,” Harry said honestly and he was surprised when the girl hugged him. He patted her on the back awkwardly and was trying to think of something to say when a flash of light distracted him.

“A mentor and his prodigy,” A familiar voice said, “Headline news, the daughter he doesn’t have…”

“Skeeter,” Harry practically hissed as he turned to the woman with her camera around her neck.

“Ah, Harry,” Skeeter said with a smile, “Pleasure to see you again.”

“It’s never a pleasure,” Harry said with a glare, “I warned you to leave me and my students alone.”

“I’m not causing any harm,” Skeeter said with a not so convincing innocent smile.

“All you ever do is cause harm, and ruin people’s lives,” Harry said, “Now _get _out,” he said as he steered her from the tent.

Outside the judges were close by enough to hear what was going on and the students were in full view but out of hearing range.

“You can’t make me go anywhere,” Skeeter said stubbornly.

“Yes I can,” Harry said simply. He levitated her and forced her from the grounds kicking and screaming amidst cheers from the students.

When Harry reappeared 10 minutes later he was met with a vaguely confused Fleur, a glaring Susan (but that seemed to be the only expression she could pull off at the moment), a smirking Draco, and Hermione raising an eyebrow at him.

“What?” Harry asked, slightly out of breath from the trek.

“Don’t you think you handled her a little rashly?”

Harry now raised his eyebrows at Hermione, “Oh, did I? And you haven’t treated her rashly in the past?”

Hermione blushed slightly and Harry chuckled, “I could have just put her in a jar I suppose,” he mumbled so that only she could hear him as he headed over to the champion’s tent. She shook her head in amusement and followed him, the other 3 judges followed them into the tent where the champions were waiting.

“As you should know if you figured out the clue,” Hermione began, “This task is a maze with something at the other end you are trying to get to.”

“You must safely get through the maze and then find a way to free the captives at the end,” Susan cut in.

Lacey’s eyes widened at the word ‘captives’.

Hermione explained, “A special person to each of you is under water at the end of the maze. You need to get to them within an hour of the whistle blowing and get them out of the water.”

Lacey’s eyes were still wide, Harry just hoped that the pressure would help rather than hinder her. He wished he could tell her that they would be okay if they didn’t get out of the water in time, but he wouldn’t have a moment alone with her now and it was very much against the rules.

“The rules are simple,” Hermione added, “Get through the maze and finish the task within the one hour limit. You will be marked on how close to an hour you finish, your magical ability and your intelligence for this task. Send up the sparks if you need assistance just like in the 1st task.”

The champions all nodded, they all looked very nervous.

“Now if you could all go with Miss. Bones, she will make sure you are all ready to enter the maze,” Hermione said with a smile, “And good luck.”

“Good luck Lacey,” Harry whispered to the pale girl as she walked past him, she gave him a nod of thanks and then she and the other champions were gone.

“So it begins,” Harry said with a sigh as he walked with Hermione, Draco and Fleur to the judges table where they took their seats. The judges table was just by the lakes edge and once more those big screens were there so they could see from the champion’s point of view.

Harry glanced over at Susan who was giving the champions their headbands and showing them where to stand. There were three different entry points to the lake and each champion would enter through a different point. Harry assumed their paths may meet, but as before they could help, hinder or avoid each other.

He had a bad feeling as Susan came over and blew the whistle, something felt wrong about this task. He took a deep breath and appreciated Hermione briefly squeezing his hand underneath the table.

The first thing was, how did the champions expect to move on the ice? After all it wasn’t easy, Gabrielle shot right in there gracefully sliding over the ice in some sort of dance, it was fascinating to watch, she was so light-footed it looked like she wasn’t even trying. Agmund transfigured crampons and attached them to his shoes to give himself some purchase on the ice.

“Smart move,” Harry noted.

Draco nodded, “We had words after the last task. I think his nerves got the better of him.”

“What if the ice breaks?” Harry asked Susan and Hermione.

“There’s a charm on it,” Hermione replied, “The ice is impenetrable, it shouldn’t break unless something seriously strong hits it.”

“What’s she doing?” Harry asked as he glanced at Lacey’s screen and then at her in real life as she transfigured two large rocks into something.

“Oh Merlin,” Hermione said as she realised Lacey had just transfigured ice skates.

Harry laughed out loud at this as she put them on and tied the laces then shot off at a fair speed through the maze.

“Creative,” Hermione said with a smile as she jotted this down, even Draco was smiling at this.

“How does she even know about ice skating?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow at Draco.

“I have no idea,” Draco admitted.

“Theo might have taken her,” Hermione said, “In the Christmas holidays, I took Theo ice skating and he loved it.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, “He really was your one who got away wasn’t he?”

“Yes, and that’s not at all awkward, you bringing that up in front of Draco,” Hermione pointed out.

“Sorry Draco,” Harry said sheepishly.

“It’s fine Harry. I know that she’s upgraded since then,” Draco said, shooting Hermione a smile.

Hermione chuckled and they all looked back to the screens. The first champion to reach an obstacle was Lacey, who had to slow down when she nearly skated into the large rectangular area of water ahead of her.

“Woah!” She said as she came to a stop and took off the skates, she glanced into the water, trying to see if there was anything particularly dangerous in it. She knelt down and looked in closer and saw long, thin creatures swimming just below the surface of the water.

“Lobalugs,” Lacey whispered.

“They aren’t dangerous,” Harry commented as he watched his prodigy.

“Unless you touch them, then they shoot poison,” Hermione said, to which Harry rolled his eyes and said, “Well she isn’t going to be stupid enough to touch them.”

He was right, Lacey conjured up a full body shield charm and jumped into the water.

“Wow,” Draco said, genuinely impressed, “I’ve only ever seen two people conjure up a full body shield charm that good.”

Lacey whizzed through the little area without any of the Lobalug’s touching her or releasing venom, and jumped out of the other side.

“And those two people were Voldemort, and you Potter,” Draco finished, his eyes briefly catching Harry’s.

“I didn’t just become Headmaster because of my fame Draco,” Harry said with a slight smile, “I like to impart my knowledge on my students.”

“I try to do the same,” Draco said, glancing at Agmund.

“He’s doing much better this time,” Harry admitted as Agmund easily got past the Lobalug’s by levitating himself over the pit that they were in.

With Lacey now just skating again Harry tore his eyes away from her to look at Gabrielle’s screen but a banner caught his eye. In the stands four students were holding a green and silver banner saying “GO HEADMASTER MALFOY” on it, and one of those students was clearly Maisie Scott, the others were her fellow Slytherins.

Harry sniggered, “Aren’t you meant to the bad guy?”

“Everybody loves the bad guy Potter,” Draco said with a smirk.

Hermione’s cheeks flushed a little at that comment.

Gabrielle had thus far not run into anything but she had just hit her first obstacle, Merpeople.

“If she knows her stuff she’ll run away,” Susan murmured from next to Harry as she watched this exchange.

“More than you know Susan, you’d probably try and have a lovely little chat with them,” Harry joked, but Susan didn’t find this funny.

“Harry, I have to work with you. I don’t like it, and you don’t like it so let’s not make it any harder than it has to be,” Susan said darkly.

Harry shook his head and said, “I was only fooling around, trying to make conversation you know? But if you’re going to be like that I’ll share my narrative thoughts of the tournament with Hermione and Draco instead.”

“Fine, please do,” Susan snapped.

Harry growled as he turned to Hermione and whispered, “She really gets under my skin!”

“Just ignore her,” Hermione said.

Gabrielle dealt with the Merpeople fairly well, she threatened them first which made them shoot poisonous Lobalug’s at her but she was fast enough with a shield charm to avoid getting hurt and _then _she had the sense to run, or rather slide away.

Lacey was still just casually skating along empty paths with large ice walls, she skated past the giant squid and threw it a fish which it was happy about. She was taking it a bit slower after her near accident with the last pit but she didn’t come upon another pit, only the island in the middle of the lake which was covered in snow. She hiked up onto it and when she was in the middle took out the map to see if she could find her bearings.

While Lacey was doing this Agmund had run into the Giant Squid and of course any Hogwarts student would know to wave to it and walk away, but Agmund wasn’t a Hogwarts student.

“Does he know about the squid?” Harry asked Draco, if he had been in his shoes he would have told his champion everything he knew about Hogwarts.

“Yes, I told him it was harmless,” Draco said,

Agmund looked at the squid and when it didn’t try to attack him, he simply moved on.

“Well, your coaching definitely worked Draco,” Hermione said, “He is definitely doing better this time around.”

“That wouldn’t be hard though, would it?” Draco quipped which made the others chuckle.

Lacey had attempted for 5 minutes to navigate from the island but having not bumped into the squid, serpent, demons or Merpeople she didn’t really have any points to navigate from. She had guessed in the end and headed down one of four possible paths. She hit her next obstacle fairly soon afterwards, Grindylows.

There was a crash from the path parallel to hers, to the judges and students it was clear that it was just Agmund falling over when his crampon got stuck in the ice. But it surprised Lacey and made her spin around, in doing so she slipped and fell into the pool of water in front of her, she had already taken her skates off to make it through the water thankfully but as she kicked her feet to try and get back to the surface, long thin fingers grabbed her and tried to pull her down into the lake. She pulled out her wand and blasted them, the heat and the noise scaring them so that they let go and swam away. Lacey frantically kicked out of the water and pulled herself up on the other side of the pool. There were actually two ways to go, but when Lacey pulled out the map she realised she had become disorientated because of the Grindylows so decided to stick with the path she was on.

Meanwhile Gabrielle had run into her second obstacle of the task. She rounded a corner and screamed when she saw a large green sea serpent casually lounging in the pool of water in front of her. It looked like a dead end and there was no way Gabrielle was going through that thing, it turned its red eyes on her when she screamed and that was enough to scare her.

She turned and ran as fast as she could from the thing but she fell over and hurt her leg pretty badly, she picked herself up and limped on.

“That’s going to hinder her progress,” Fleur said sadly, “She’ll be slower now.”

“Poor serpent, she probably terrified it,” Hermione said with a chuckle.

Harry was frowning, there was something off about the sea serpent, they had a fantastic sense of smell, it should have looked at Gabrielle the moment it smelled her, but it didn’t, it turned the second she screamed and sea serpents really didn’t have great hearing.

He tried to push this from the back of his mind as he watched Gabrielle limp through the island towards the Grindylows. Gabrielle obviously hadn’t figured out the map because she looked and saw nothing so decided to swim through the little pool, but the Grindylows made an appearance, she was alarmed at first but kicked them off with her good leg and blasted them with her wand then got out of the pool as fast as possible. She caught her breath and cast drying and warming charms on her clothes.

“I still don’t know why I didn’t think of that,” Fleur mumbled which made Harry chuckle under his breath.

Gabrielle appeared to be on a different path from Lacey as it curved slightly more, Harry had a feeling hers would be quicker.

He glanced between screens once more, Agmund had run into a creature known as a Hippocampus, it wasn’t particularly dangerous unless threatened. It was a weird looking thing though, it freaked Harry out with the head and forequarters of a horse and the tail and hindquarters of a giant fish, it even had fins where hooves should have been, it was peaceful enough but strange looking.

Hermione saw Harry making a face and sniggered, “Who would have thought the saviour of the wizarding world was scared of a Hippocampus?” she teased.

“I’m not scared of it,” Harry said honestly as Agmund stupefied the creature and swam past, “It just looks _weird_.”

Agmund then reached the Grindylows which he blasted his way through easily and he then ran in the wrong direction and ended up near the start of the maze with the Merpeople. He didn’t understand the concept of ‘Please, leave us human’. So he tried to curse the Merpeople which got stabbed in the arm with a trident.

Draco just rolled his eyes, “And we were doing so well too.”

Agmund then had the sense to run away, but he backtracked on himself and had to get through the Grindylows again.

While Agmund was fighting his way through the water demons, Gabrielle was nearing the finish. she reached the final obstacle, little fish called Plimpys that hovered around and could be annoying but literally could not do any harm if they tried. For this part Gabrielle had to swim underneath the ice and emerge on the other side and the little fish kept swimming in her face, she spent much longer than she should have trying to get through them.

Lacey also went past the Hippocampus just before Agmund, she slowed it down by using a charm on it and swam past it, being careful not to hurt it. By the time the Durmstrang champion arrived, her charm had worn off. She then skated for a few minutes and came to a shallow pond which looked safe after a glance in. Lacey took off her skates and walked through it then swore loudly and hurried to the other side.

“Bloody hell,” She said as she pulled her sock off to find about 10 pin sized pricks in it, all of which were bleeding. She glanced in the water again to see she had stood on a Shrake, a small fish like creature that could be very jagged when it wanted to be. She should have looked more carefully really, Lacey thought to herself as she quickly patched it up and put her skates on, she was a lot slower now thanks to the searing pain in her foot.

Gabrielle had now managed to get through the plimpys and couldn’t have had long to go, it didn’t seem like Agmund was far behind her, but Lacey looked like she still had a while to go. Then again Harry could be wrong, she was on a completely different route from the other two.

Just then, an extremely loud rumble drew everyone’s attention to Lacey’s screen, she was alarmed as the ice beneath her cracked and completely opened up. The large Sea Serpent emerged, turning its wicked red eyes on her, in seconds it had grabbed her and she was in the water, it was all happening so fast.

Harry got to his feet in a second but was questioned, “What are you doing?” Draco asked him.

“Unlike the rest of you I won’t stand by and watch somebody die again!” Harry said hotly and with a spin of his heel he was in the lake with Lacey.

He had apparated within the grounds of Hogwarts.

Everyone watched with baited breath as Harry took off his cloak and robes and shot a well-aimed spell into the crack in the ice which was clearly extremely powerful as it penetrated the water. He then dived in and finished the creature off, something that nobody saw because Lacey’s camera was focused on the bottom of the lake where she was headed for.

Harry swam as fast as he could and grabbed her, his heart was pounding as he got to the surface and pulled her out, she was paler than ever as he lay her down on the ice and pumped the water from her lungs, “Enervate,” he mumbled, she had obviously been knocked out by the force of the water.

“P…p…Professor Potter,” Lacey stumbled, slightly disorientated as Harry helped her sit up.

“Something went wrong Miss. Nott,” Harry said to the girl, “You have the right to not finish the task.”

“No, no, I’ll finish it,” Lacey said instantly, although she felt zapped of energy and her head was pounding.

“Hang on a moment,” He said, he then looked into the camera on her head and said, “Hermione, you have honeydukes chocolate right? You always do, send some.”

At the judges table, Hermione took the chocolate bar from her pocket. She closed her eyes and within seconds it appeared in Harry’s hand, it was a skill Hermione had taught him that came in handy.

“Here, eat this. Trust me it will help,” Harry told the girl, and he was sure Hermione was smiling as she too thought of Remus in that moment.

Lacey ate the bar of chocolate and instantly her cheeks had a little more colour and she seemed more alert, “Are you sure you’re good to finish?”

Lacey nodded, “I’ll be fine, thank you for saving my life Professor Potter.”

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to let anyone die on my watch,” Harry said simply as he spun on his heel once more and appeared back at the judging panel.

Nobody got a chance to ask him _how _he could apparate within Hogwarts, he was too busy growling threateningly, and most of the judges agreed with him.

“Who the _fuck _put a Kelpie in there with a bunch of kids? I nearly got killed by a goddamn Kelpie and I’m a fully qualified wizard!” Harry said in a very quiet, very angry, and extremely threatening voice.

“I thought it was a sea serpent when I imported it,” Susan said weakly, she looked scared and pale.

“Then you clearly should have left this task to Hermione,” Harry said harshly, “Your incompetence nearly killed one of my students!”

“Harry, sit down,” Hermione said and she glared at him, “I wholly agree with you, but Susan’s probably going to pay for this enough as it is. Sit down and watch the rest of the task.”

Hermione was probably the only person in the vicinity that Harry would have listened to at that point in time so he glanced over at the teachers stand where he saw Daphne watching him with concern. He sat down, took a breath and subtly sent Daphne a patronus with the message, “I’m fine, I just jarred my back a little when I hit the water.”

It was the truth, his back was throbbing. A glance at Hermione let her know what was wrong, and she nodded somewhat sympathetically but no words were exchanged as they looked back to the champions.

Gabrielle was now in the process of undoing the ropes binding Bill underwater and Agmund was making his way through the plimpys. Lacey was slow and shaky but she still easily tricked the Kappa she encountered into bowing by asking it “What’s that on the ground there?”. She got past it and slowly made her way through the last path of ice.

Gabrielle pulled Bill free and struggled slightly but got him to the surface. Once he was out of the water, he woke up and together they swam to the edge of the lake which meant that Gabrielle had finished first.

Agmund wasn’t far behind her. He hacked away at the rope with a sharp rock and freed his girlfriend. Once she was out of the water, they swam to the edge of the lake and were instantly wrapped in towels.

Lacey was last, but nobody could begrudge her for that considering all that had happened. Frankly, it was impressive that she had finished the task at all. She took a deep breath and dived down into the water, after assessing the situation she surfaced and transfigured a rock into a knife then she dived down once more and cut her brother free. Thankfully he was lighter than Bill so pulling him from the water wasn’t that hard. Once he was out, Lacey threw her arms around Theo and refused to let go even as they were led to the medical tent together.

“Thank Merlin that’s over,” Harry said with a heavy sigh and a breath of relief.

“Go on, go check on her,” Hermione said, she could tell that he wanted to.

Harry got to his feet and dragged his aching body to the other side of the lake to check on his prodigy. He was sure once this all cooled down there would be a funny side, and everyone would want to know how he could apparate within Hogwarts, but right now he could only focus on what could have happened thanks to Susan’s stupidity.

*******

When Harry walked into the medical tent after the second task he wasn’t surprised to find Lacey sitting up on a hospital bed clutching her brother for dear life, she only let go when she saw Harry walk into the tent.

In a shot she had bolted over to him and hugged him, “Thank you Professor Potter. You saved my life.”

Harry led Lacey back over to her brother and sat her down next to him on the bed, he leaned against one of the metal poles supporting the tent and said, “Well I wasn’t going to let one of my best students die now, was I?”

“What happened?” Lacey asked, still a little shaken up.

“Something went wrong, didn’t it?” Theo asked from next to her.

Harry nodded and replied, “Yes, the sea serpent that was supposed to be imported for this task was a Kelpie.”

Theo’s eyes flashed angrily, “Who the hell did that? Because there is no way Hermione would have messed something up that badly.”

“It wasn’t Hermione,” Harry agreed, “But unfortunately it’s easier than you might think to get the two creatures mixed up. This particular kelpie’s favourite form is a sea serpent. When Miss. Delacour encountered the creature I found it odd that it only looked at her when it heard her scream because generally sea serpents have bad hearing and a fantastic sense of smell, but I thought I was seeing things where they didn’t exist. The war has made me paranoid.”

“It wasn’t your fault Professor Potter,” Lacey said as her brother put his arm around her, “I’m just glad it didn’t kill me.”

“I guess having the hero of the wizarding world as your Headmaster is an added bonus of going to Hogwarts, eh Lace?” Theo asked with a chuckle.

“Shut up Theo,” Lacey said with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah, shut up Theo,” Harry agreed.

Theo laughed, “You good for that drink tomorrow night Harry?”

“Yeah, Hogs Head?” Harry replied.

“Sounds good,” Theo replied, “It will be nice to visit our old haunt. See you later.”

“See you later,” Harry said, then he headed out of the tent. He grinned when he heard Lacey avidly saying “You _know _Professor Potter?” to her brother as he walked back across the lake grimacing. His back was throbbing, he didn’t know what he had done to it when he hit the lake, but he knew it was bad.

***

Harry took his place at the judges table once more and Hermione could tell that he was in pain even though he was doing his best to hide it.

“Was it the way you hit the water?” She asked in an undertone.

“I don’t know,” Harry replied honestly through his grimace, “All I know is how painful it is.”

“We’ll fix it later,” Hermione whispered, “I need to show Daphne how to do the charm anyway.”

Harry nodded as she handed him a scoring sheet and said, “You better hurry and get your scores written down, we will be announcing them in 10 minutes.”

Harry sighed and quickly jotted down his scores for each champion. He was angry about the kelpie and he couldn’t even look at Susan. Lacey deserved a 10 if that hadn’t happened, and even then it hadn’t been her fault, and she could have died.

“So Harry,” Draco said from further along the table, “How exactly is it that you can apparate within the grounds of Hogwarts?”

Harry smirked at this and replied, “Headmaster’s secret.”

“How come Dumbledore couldn’t do it then?” Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

“He could, he just didn’t let anyone _know _that he could,” Harry replied with a chuckle.

“So why did you?” Draco asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Because saving a student’s life was more important than keeping a dumb secret. You have met Harry Potter, saviour with a hero complex over here, haven’t you?”

Draco chuckled, “Fair point.”

Harry could only manage a weak smile and a nod of agreement, “I wasn’t intending to let anyone know I could do it but a secret isn’t worth a life.”

They couldn’t talk about it anymore because at that point the three champions emerged from the tent, Lacey still clinging onto her brother which made Harry smile slightly.

“Now for the scores. First up, Miss Gabrielle Delacour who finished the task first in 58 minutes,” Hermione began and Gabrielle stepped forward.

Fleur gave her score first, “I award Miss. Delacour 8 points. She demonstrated excellent navigational skills and chose the fastest route. However, she _did _injure herself in her haste to get away from the supposed sea serpent.”

Gabrielle gave a small nod and smiled at her sister, Hermione then stood up and said, “I award Miss. Delacour 7 points. I also believe she cleverly chose the fastest path through the maze and finished with the best time. I agree that what we believed to be a sea serpent distracted her, and she also struggled with animals that should have been simple such as plimpys.”

Gabrielle nodded again and Harry then stood up, “I award Miss. Delacour 8 points. Like the other judges I agree that her navigational skills were fantastic, and her time was impressive. However she threatened the Merpeople which wasn’t the most educated approach to creatures as intelligent as Merpeople.”

Again Gabrielle gave a small nod and looked to Susan who said, “I award Miss. Delacour 9 points. I think she did a fantastic job of navigating the maze and dealing with the creatures, she did not receive injury from any of the creatures faced, her injury was through her own slip, which is why I deducted a point.”

Finally Draco got to his feet, “I award Miss. Delacour 6 points,” he said, the harsh judge as ever, “She _did _finish with the best time and she did choose the best path but since I’m fairly certain she didn’t work out the clue I put that down to luck more than anything else. She _didn’t _deal with the Merpeople very well, and she injured herself so I believe that deserves the deduction of another point. Finally plimpys are harmless creatures, it should _not _have taken 10 minutes to swim through a small group of them.”

Gabrielle looked like she was going to cry but instead just gave a small nod.

“That gives Miss. Delacour an overall score of 38,” Hermione announced and with a smile and a nod Gabrielle stepped back.

“Now to announce the scores for Mr. Agmund Erickson who finished in second place in 1 hour and 2 minutes,” Hermione said.

Fleur began, “I award Mr. Erickson 8 points. I feel he did not show he had any sense of navigation relating to the map, but he also did not encounter many issues and made it through the task with relative ease.”

Agmund simply nodded.

Hermione stood up and said, “I award Mr. Erickson 7 points. I agree that he had not worked out the clue of the map, but, with the exception of the Merpeople, he treated the creatures he encountered sensibly and took a different approach depending on the danger level of each threat he faced which I felt was incredibly sensible. I also felt his method of moving over the frozen lake was the safest.”

Agmund nodded once more.

Harry stood up to give his score, “I award Mr. Erickson 7 points. I agree with the other judges that he had no sense of direction and got by on luck. Apart from obvious disrespect towards Merpeople, I felt he took each obstacle in his stride however and I also commend his method for moving over the ice.”

Agmund simply nodded again.

“I award Mr. Erickson 9 points,” Susan said, and nobody knew what she was doing for a moment, but then Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and realised that she was giving good scores to make up for what she had done with the kelpie.

“He did loop back on himself slightly, and there was the incident with the Merpeople but he finished the task and overall, did a great job,” Susan said with a smile as she sat down.

Agmund almost managed a smile as well as a nod here.

“I award Mr. Erickson 8 points,” Draco said proudly, “After letting nerves get the better of him for the first task, I felt that he vastly improved for this one. There was an incident with the Merpeople for which I deducted a point and then there was the fact he was over the hour by 2 minutes, for which I deducted a point. However on the whole, he showed intelligence and common sense while completing this task and he did himself proud.”

Agmund really did smile at his Headmaster upon hearing that.

“Thank you sir,” Agmund said quietly.

“You are welcome Agmund,” Draco said, he bowed his head to the boy.

Hermione then said, “We award Mr. Erickson a total of 39 points. Finally, we will announce the scores for Miss. Lacey Nott who finished the task third in 1 hour and 16 minutes.”

Lacey stepped forward, she still had her arms wrapped around Theodore who seemed slightly amused by this.

“I award Miss. Nott 8 points,” Fleur said, and Lacey nodded, “Overall she performed very well in the task and chose a sensible path. I do not deduct points due to the kelpie incident because I feel like she is not in any way at fault for this. I deduct my two points for her disorientation with the Grindylows and her injury from the Shrake.”

Hermione got to her feet next and smiled, “I award Miss. Nott 9 points. I think given the circumstances she showed that she has incredible magical ability and skill, her navigational skills were fantastic and her knowledge of the creatures she faced was pleasant to watch. I deduct a point only due to the incident with the Shrake.”

Lacey grinned and Theo winked at Hermione, “Thanks Hermione,” he said.

Draco shot his old friend an amused look and raised an eyebrow at him which of course made Theo grin even more.

Harry stood up and said, “I also award Miss. Nott 9 points. I think she did a fantastic job, and I was particularly impressed with her shield charm. She used all of the skills she has gathered in her time here at Hogwarts and I couldn’t help but be impressed by her use of Transfiguration despite it being one of her weaker subjects. I do not put her at fault for what happened with the Kelpie and I find it intriguing that she chose to carry on, a very Gryffindor trait to find in a Slytherin student.”

There were boo’s from the Slytherins in the crowd and cheers from the Gryffindors. Theo said, “Thanks Harry, although I don’t agree with you Gryffindorising my little sis.”

Harry laughed and sat back down.

Then Susan stood up and Harry whispered to Hermione, “I bet she’ll give her 10.”

“She’s trying to save her job,” Hermione whispered back.

“Really? Looks like she’s trying to save face to me,” Harry muttered.

“I award Miss. Nott 10 points,” Susan said and Harry and Hermione shared slightly exasperated looks.

“She completed the task in a good time, and despite the problems faced she managed to treat creatures with respect and keep a level head, for this I think she deserves 10 points.”

Lacey smiled and nodded. Then she turned to Draco as he got to his feet.

“I award Miss. Nott 8 points,” Draco said.

Theo snorted, “Because she’s your Goddaughter and you don’t want to look like your showing favouritism?”

“No,” Draco said calmly, “I agree with the other judges that she showed excellent magical skill and ability, her intelligence was clear, as was her wit, a very _Slytherin _trait Headmaster Potter,” he pointed out with a glance at Harry, “However I deduct one point for the fact she stood on a Shrake, a rather careless mistake. I also deduct a point for the fact she had to get saved by her Headmaster.”

“That wasn’t her fault!” Theo said hotly.

“No, it wasn’t,” Draco agreed, “And she dealt with it well, but considering that it affected the time the task was completed in I feel it should be taken into account.”

He sat down and Hermione stood up, “We therefore award Miss. Nott an overall 44 points. This places Miss. Nott first for this task, Mr Erickson second and Miss. Delacour third. In the overall tournament Miss. Nott is still in 1st place with a total of 86 points. Miss. Delacour is in 2nd with a total of 72 points and Mr. Erickson is in 3rd with a total of 59 points.”

There was yet more cheering because Lacey was first again, and the Hogwarts crowd were going wild as the champions were led away and the students started to leave the grounds for the warmth of the castle.

Harry groaned, “Thank Merlin that’s over,” he said as he caught Daphne’s eye.


	16. Respect Must Be Earned

When Daphne cornered Harry, he was standing in the shower.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Harry grimaced.

“Really? Because you look like you’re practically scalding yourself to get a bit of pain relief,” Daphne said, giving him a knowing look.

Harry groaned in pain in response. The water burned, that was true, but it was giving him some relief from the pain. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the brief moment of relief from the searing agony. He had known that this would happen the moment he dived into the lake to save Lacey, but he hadn’t cared. As far as he was concerned, any injury to himself was nothing compared to what could have happened if he hadn’t intervened.

“How stupid do you get Daphne? Sourcing a kelpie instead of a bloody sea serpent?” Harry fumed. He reluctantly turned the shower off and wrapped a towel around himself.

“I understand the confusion, what with the kelpie’s favourite form being a sea serpent,” Daphne admitted, “But how it got that far, I don’t know. There should have been a process, a _secure _process to ensure that what Susan thought was being imported was what was actually being imported.”

Harry sighed and lay down on the bed, “I’m just glad that Lacey is alright. This tournament is a trainwreck and…I’m in over my head Daphne. I’m not ready to be Headmaster, why Minerva thought I was, I don’t know.”

Daphne sat down on the edge of the bed, “Nobody is ready the minute they are appointed Harry. It takes time to earn respect from the students and staff, it takes you making mistakes to work out how to improve next time. I know you pretty much whizzed through the war, but this is different. This is something that you need to work at, so don’t give up, keep working at it.”

Harry gave her a small nod. The Headmasters portraits on the wall in the office were still ‘asleep’. If he hadn’t gained their respect yet he sure as hell wouldn’t any time soon.

A knock on the bedroom door distracted him.

“Come in Hermione,” Daphne called.

Hermione stepped into the room and smiled weakly at him, “How are you feeling?”

“Sore, but don’t you smile guiltily at me,” Harry said, he shut his eyes, “This is all on Susan.”

“I should have supervised her more,” Hermione sighed, “But here was me thinking she was a competent Ministry worker, capable of doing her job.”

“You have nothing to feel guilty about,” Daphne assured her, “Let’s just be grateful that nobody was seriously hurt.”

Hermione nodded, “True, at least Lacey is okay.”

“So,” Daphne said, “Are you going to teach me this charm or not?”

***

“Okay please never, ever, _ever _tell Hermione this,” Harry said after Daphne had done her first solo treatment on his back, “But you were better at that than her.”

Daphne smiled, “That’s not so hard to believe. I’m the Potions Mistress, I have a steady hand. Hermione gets anxious and her hand shakes very slightly, it probably makes the pain a little worse.”

“That makes sense,” Harry reasoned.

“The charm itself isn’t difficult,” Daphne added, “After Hermione taught me the wand movement and the incantation, it was easy. The hard part is keeping a steady hand and making sure to end the spell before it hurts you.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind doing it?” Harry asked, “You didn’t sign up to be my personal healer.”

Daphne shot him an exasperated look, “I don’t mind doing it,” she promised, “Now get dressed and let’s get down to the hall for some dinner.”

Harry got up and threw on some clothes then he and Daphne made their way down the hall together. They got halfway up the hall when a commotion broke out.

A Gryffindor tried to curse a Slytherin and some rather unsavoury words were said. Then the Slytherins friends joined in, and a few more people from the Gryffindor table stood up.

Within less than a minute, curses were flying around the great hall, ricocheting off of walls and candelabras.

Harry couldn’t be sure who had started it, but he sure as hell was going to finish it. He reached the head table, stood and roared, “SILENCE!”

Instantly everybody stopped what they were doing. Silence fell and all eyes were on Harry.

“This is not what Hogwarts stands for!” Harry said angrily, “I may be a young Headmaster, and you may not think that I take my job seriously, but I do. Hogwarts is one of the most respectable schools of magic in Europe, and _nobody _is acting in a respectable manner right now!”

The silence became a guilty one, and eyes flicked down to the floor.

“This is not the kind of behaviour I expect from students, and frankly this behaviour disgraces the name of Hogwarts. It is an embarrassment for my students to act like this when we have guests from two of the most prestigious schools in Europe staying with us! I have no idea who started this, but I saw people from all houses throwing curses around this room so I am taking 50 points from every house!”

Nothing broke the silence, Harry doubted any of the students had ever seen him so angry, he knew some of the people at the Head Table had though.

“If the person responsible for this does not come forward I will be forced to punish everyone with detention,” Harry said, his eyes scanning the hall.

A Gryffindor stepped forward, “It was me Headmaster,” he said. Harry recognised the voice before he saw the student.

“It was my fault too Headmaster,” Another voice said, and Harry definitely recognised that voice as a girl stepped forward.

“No, I provoked them,” A third voice said and another boy stepped forward.

The three troublemakers were familiar, the first boy who had stepped forward was Robert Williamson, the second was of course Lacey, and the third was a Slytherin boy called Evan Harrington.

“All of you, in my office, now,” Harry said to the three pupils and they didn’t question this. All three left the hall with Harry at their heels. Nothing was said on route to the office and Harry could tell that the three pupils he was transporting were feeling worried, and in Lacey’s case guilty.

When they reached the office Harry sat down across from them and surveyed the two Slytherins and the Gryffindor for a moment.

Nobody said a word.

“So, do I have to try and find out for myself? Or is someone going to tell me what happened?” Harry asked, he was sure he sounded as tired and fed up as he felt.

Lacey’s cheeks burned pink and Harrington looked down at his feet, leaving Williamson to do the talking. It was typical really considering he was the Gryffindor.

“Harrington started it sir. He insulted Lacey,” Williamson said.

“Insulted Miss. Nott how?” Harry asked.

Harrington and Lacey both had slightly pink cheeks.

“He called her offensive names sir,” Williamson said, “He said…he said…”

“Spit it out Williamson,” Harry said impatiently.

“He said she was sleeping with you sir,” Williamson said, his cheeks flushing pink.

Harry raised an eyebrow at this, “Is this true Harrington?”

“I was just repeating the rumours that are going around sir,” Harrington said in a small voice.

“Interesting,” Harry said as he leaned back in his chair, “I heard a rumour about you and Sebastian Darlington in the Quidditch changing rooms, I suppose since I heard it that it must be true.”

Harrington was alarmed by this, “How did you hear about-” he cut himself off, “I mean that’s not true sir!”

“Not all rumours are true Harrington,” Harry said, “And calling someone offensive names is never okay. I think your detention should be something befitting your crime. So I shall be contacting Professor Malfoy. I am aware he is in need of a practice dummy to train his champion against.”

Harrington’s eyes widened and Harry caught Lacey smirking slightly out of the corner of his eye, “But Sir! You can’t do that! That’s against human rights! My Father will hear about this!”

“Harrington, your Father will do nothing about this but tell you to grow up,” Harry said briskly, “Get out of my sight,” he added lazily and with pink cheeks Harrington angrily left the office.

“Williamson, you shouldn’t have reacted,” Harry said to the Gryffindor.

“I know sir but I couldn’t stand by and let him call her that even though she has made it clear that I’m not good enough for her.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at the boy and looked over at Lacey, “Nott, you shouldn’t have reacted either.”

“Yes sir, I know sir.”

“As much as I agree with you that what Harrington said was wrong, I still have to be seen as punishing you in some way. You will have detention with Professor Longbottom for a week, helping him keep the duelling club going,” Harry said.

Williamson smiled, it wasn’t really a detention, “Yes sir.”

“And take 10 points for Gryffindor for not taking Harrington’s nonsense,” Harry added, Williamson nodded.

“Miss. Nott, detention with Professor Greengrass for a week,” Harry said, “You still need to work on that transfiguration before the final task.”

Lacey nodded with a slight smile, “Yes Sir.”

“And have 10 points for Slytherin Miss. Nott,” Harry added.

The two of them stood stock still because although Harry had stopped talking, he hadn’t dismissed them yet.

“Alright, one last thing before you go,” Harry said, “I have seen far too many a relationship ruined because of stubbornness. A prank gone wrong, an insult that could have been taken back…these things can ruin something that could be great. I know it is not a common Slytherin trait to be able to forgive easily, but in this case I think you ought to try Miss. Nott.”

Lacey looked down, anywhere but at Harry or Williamson.

“And Williamson, never stop apologising,” Harry said, “Even when you think it’s pointless, keep trying.”

“Yes sir.”

“On you go then,” Harry said, “Dismissed.”

The two students left Harry’s office as fast as their feet would take them. Harry sighed and sank down into his chair behind his desk, “I hate this job sometimes.”

“Suck it up Potter, you don’t retire from this job.”

“Unless you’re Minerva of course.”

Harry looked up in surprise at the portraits on the wall, all of them had their eyes open now and they were watching Harry with interest.

“Oh so now you’re talking to me?” He asked, as he surveyed the two who had spoken, Snape and Dumbledore.

“You have earned the respect of the school Mr. Potter,” Dippet said, “Therefore you have earned the respect of its Headmasters.”

“How did I do that?” Harry asked, his head was spinning.

“You saved Miss. Nott,” Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling, “Which won you the loyalty of the students.”

“And then you showed the staff that you are a responsible Headmaster,” Dippet said as he smiled down at Harry.

Harry leant back and sighed, “Well…at least I’m doing something right,” he said, cracking a small smile.

*******

“Morning,” Daphne said as she hovered over Harry’s bed.

“Morning,” Harry yawned.

“Fancy telling me why I got jeered at by Snape when I walked into the office in my dressing gown this morning?” Daphne asked calmly.

Harry laughed and opened his eyes, “Well it is a very sexy dressing gown, let’s be honest.”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “When did you gain the respect of the school?”

“Yesterday,” Harry replied, “Through a combination of saving Lacey and the way I dealt with the incident in the hall yesterday.”

“Yeah, I figured that had wiped you out when I found you sleeping at your desk,” Daphne said, “Of course the portraits were asleep then so I didn’t realise you had awoken them until this morning.”

Harry grinned, “What did Snape say to you?”

“Oh you know, he told me to go put some clothes on and act like a respectable woman,” Daphne said with an amused shake of her head.

Harry grinned, “Daphne Greengrass, have I made a respectable woman out of you?”

“Not quite Potter,” Daphne smirked as she advanced on him, “Not quite.”

***

“Harry, have you seen the paper?” Hermione asked the second Harry reached the Head table that morning.

Harry took the paper that was being thrust in his face and poured himself a cup of coffee. It was Sunday’s edition of the Daily Prophet.

_“**FREAK ACCIDENT IN TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT**.”_

The headline read, there was a picture of Lacey clinging onto Theo after the task and Harry quickly scanned the article beneath this.

_“The Triwizard Tournament, a traditional tournament between the three most powerful Wizarding schools in Europe has been held once more at Hogwarts for the first time in 10 years. Yesterday on the grounds of Hogwarts a freak accident almost killed Hogwarts champion Lacey Nott (daughter of the late death eater). _

_The Second Task in the Tournament required the three champions to navigate their way through a maze of ice on the frozen ‘Black Lake’. The task should have been simple but the incident occurred when Miss. Nott was snatched by a creature believed by organisers of the event to be a sea serpent. It later emerged that the creature was in fact a Kelpie, a creature with the Ministry Classification of XXXX. The rules of the tournament stated that only creatures with a classification of XXX or lower were to be used unless they were domesticated or capable of human intelligence (such as Merpeople and Centaurs). _

_Upon being snatched by the Kelpie Miss. Nott was dragged beneath the water (to the seabed where Kelpies devour their prey). However Headmaster Potter managed to get to the Seventh Year student in time by apparating within the grounds of Hogwarts, a skill only the Headmaster of the school can hone. Headmaster Potter proceeded to kill the creature and retrieve Miss. Nott from the water. Miraculously the Seventh Year Slytherin student continued and completed the task with an impressive overall score. She remains in first place in the overall tournament._

_The question being asked now is; ‘How did this happen?’ there are strict Ministry rules to prevent things like this happening when dealing with the exportation and importation of lethal, and non-lethal creatures. Miss. Hermione Granger, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, commented on this for us yesterday evening._

_“As the main person involved in the organisation of the Triwizard Tournament I understand that this accident must be addressed and the person responsible appropriately punished, despite the fact that nobody was seriously hurt because of it. Following preliminary discussions the decision stands that the person responsible will be let go after the duration of this Tournament. The Nott family will receive any money in compensation they feel they require to make up for this accident, although at the moment they are not pressing for this. The Ministry have begun a full investigation into how this mistake was not noticed in the many steps it went through before reaching the lake in the grounds of Hogwarts. We apologise profusely to anyone affected by this terrible mistake and send our condolences to the Nott family, and also to Headmaster Potter as he recovers from an injury caused when he saved Miss. Nott.”_

_There will be more to come on this story as the Ministry investigation unfolds, however something like this should never have been able to happen given the amount of quality control checks that occur at the Ministry in the exportation and importation process regarding magical creatures.”_

“Her name wasn’t even mentioned,” Harry hissed angrily, “And they’ve made it look like you’re taking the fall Hermione!”

“I’m not,” Hermione assured Harry, “The newspaper story is a cover-up. They didn’t want the press to know quite how bad it was.”

“So what’s happening to Susan?” Harry asked, still unhappy.

“Well as you read she’s lost her job, she sees out the tournament but that’s the end of her job as the Head of her department, and probably the end of her career in the Ministry,” Hermione admitted, she looked guilty, “She will be named when the full Ministry investigation is leaked to the press after the Tournament and she’ll lose all credibility she ever had in the Wizarding world when that happens.”

“Good,” Daphne said harshly, “Perhaps you feel guilty about this Hermione but that mistake was serious. If she makes mistakes that big she shouldn’t be working in that area of expertise.”

“I agree,” Hermione said honestly, “I just remember the way the press ruined Harry in 5th year and what they did to Draco and his Mother after the war.”

“That was different,” Draco said, “They ruined me because of what my Father did which you can’t really fault them for. As for what they did to Harry, that was because they hated what he stood for. Susan brought this upon herself.”

“I know,” Hermione said with a deep sigh. It didn’t stop her from feeling guilty about the whole thing.

***

“How’s the invalid?” Theo asked with a grin when Harry walked into the empty Hogs Head that night.

“Crippled as ever,” Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

“Even then, you still have a bloody hero complex,” Theo remarked, “I never thought it would end up saving my sisters life though.”

“Aren’t you lucky to be friends with the saviour of the wizarding world?” Harry asked sarcastically as he ordered two double strength firewhiskeys.

“Obviously,” Theo snorted, “So Harry, fancy telling me how you, awkward hero himself, ended up with the incredibly hot, incredibly out of your league, Daphne Greengrass?”

“If I knew I would tell you,” Harry said honestly, “After Susan broke up with me, I figured there was no way I would meet someone and have kids before the time bomb ticking over my head exploded so I slept around like an idiot, but Daphne was this one constant thing in my life and then far too late, I realised why.”

“It obviously wasn’t that much too late, because she’s still with you,” Theo pointed out, “And speaking of that time bomb, you’re not far off the 5 years.”

“Don’t remind me,” Harry sighed, “The pain is getting more frequent and I’ve been temporarily paralysed once already. I’m going into St. Mungo’s tomorrow to see about a clinical trial.

“Well hopefully it works for you mate,” Theo said, “So here’s to getting legless before you get legless,” he added, draining his firewhiskey.

“Cheers,” Harry said sarcastically, finishing his firewhiskey and ordering another, “So go on, grill me about the thing I can tell you want to grill me about now that the niceties are out of the way.”

Theo grinned, “Am I that predictable?”

“Yep,” Harry smirked.

“Right, Hermione,” Theo said, he leant forward, “Hermione and Draco. I mean how does that even happen? Hermione good girl Granger and Draco Death Eater, Voldemort’s bitch Malfoy?”

Harry snorted, “You tell me. You dated Hermione, why does she go for sarcastic, intelligent Slytherins who will inevitably break her heart?”

“Solid burn Harry, solid burn,” Theo said with a shake of his head.

“Seriously though, I don’t quite get it either,” Harry admitted, “I mean yes, he has changed. He is a semi-nice person now, but he’s still a sarcastic arsehole as far as I’m concerned. What Hermione sees in him is a mystery to me, she tells me he’s a closet romantic but I can’t see it.”

Theo sniggered, “I can. He’s got more of his Mother than his Father in him, let’s put it that way and that’s a damn good thing. I wasn’t joking about what I said to Hermione you know, I reckon I set a high standard.”

Harry chuckled, “Maybe you did. Most people tend to have a type and you were her first love so…”

“Yep, still a bit cocky about that,” Theo grinned.

“You also broke her heart,” Harry pointed out, “And as the person who was forced to watch shitty muggle films and eat ice cream and be a bloody tissue dispenser, I’m kind of on her side there.”

“Yeah…I didn’t handle that too well,” Theo admitted.

“No, no you didn’t.”

“I mean it’s all worked out for the best now though,” Theo said with a thoughtful look, “I do wonder if it was a mistake sometimes, but everything happens for a reason. Right?”

“I suppose so,” Harry mused, “Although the reason I ended up getting this shitty injury is beyond me.”

“It’s beyond me too mate,” Theo said honestly.

Harry sighed, “Anyway, let’s talk about you. I mean you’re the married, Father, sensible one.”

“Ah I don’t know about that,” Theo laughed, “Married and a Father, yes. Sensible? Definitely not. I do love being a Dad though, I think it puts Lacey nose out a bit when the twins were born. She was 15 at the time and I had pretty much raised her for a long time, but she loves them to bits, she’s a great Aunt.”

“She’s just a great kid,” Harry admitted, “She has so many potential Theo, she’s going to go far.”

“Tell me about it, she’s smarter than I was at school and let me tell you, that is rather difficult.”

“Unless you’re Hermione?” Harry joked.

“Well it was always between Draco and I at school,” Theo admitted, “There was no scoring higher than Hermione but Draco and I fought it out for second best. Ironic actually considering who he’s dating.”

Harry whistled, “If you even try to suggest that Draco’s got your sloppy seconds, in front of him, you have got to let me see the duel that plays out because Draco would destroy you.”

“Oh I know,” Theo said with a wave of his hand, “He’s the DADA professor, I’m the nerdy dude who uses transfiguration to amuse my toddlers. There is no way I would win in a duel, that’s why I bitch behind his back instead.”

Harry sniggered at his friend, he and Theo had gotten on well from the moment they met during the war.

“You’ve worked out that Lacey’s got a crush on you by the way, haven’t you?” Theo smirked.

Harry made a face, “Seriously?”

“Oh yeah, she has a major crush on Headmaster Potter,” Theo said with a wink, “She denies it of course, but it’s funny how obvious it is, to me anyway. She wants to be an Auror like Headmaster Potter was when she leaves school.”

Harry frowned, “Does she? I didn’t realise that.”

Theo nodded, “I tried warning her away, telling her how dangerous the job can be but when Lacey has an idea, she rolls with it.”

Harry looked off into the distance thoughtfully, thinking about his own injury.

“Maybe you should have a word with her,” Theo suggested, “Tell her that you were barely an Auror before an injury wrote you off. It might push her into considering her other options.”

“If I can get it into a conversation without it sounding obvious that I’m doing it because you asked me to, then I will,” Harry promised Theo, “But she would make a damn good Auror you know.”

“I know, but she’s my baby sister,” Theo said, real emotion could be heard in his voice, “She’s the only family I have left.”

Harry understood that, probably more than Theo knew, “Does she know, about you being an informant during the war?”

“No,” Theo replied, “She knows something went on, but we’ve never talked about it in much detail. It’s one of those things I’ve kept to myself to be honest, Astoria doesn’t know either.”

Harry smiled slightly, “It does seem to be typical of Slytherins to hide the best parts of themselves from society.”

“I reckon it probably is a Slytherin trait,” Theo admitted, “The hat should add that to its song.”

“I’ll pass that on,” Harry said in amusement, “But while we’re on the subject of the war, I think maybe you ought to treat Lacey like an adult a bit more these days. I told her how your Father died, not too long ago. She said that you wouldn’t tell her and I felt that she had a right to know.”

“She did…she does,” Theo agreed with a slight frown, “I just wasn’t sure that she could handle the news.”

“She handled it about as well as she could have done,” Harry said honestly.

“Well that’s something,” Theo said as he finished off his drink and ordered two more, “I hear Susan won’t be your problem for much longer.”

Harry nodded, “She’s going to have a trial about the incident with the kelpie. She will probably lose her job over it, and maybe her place on the judging panel.”

“Well if you’re stupid enough to let a kelpie near some kids,” Theo shrugged, “I don’t feel sorry for her and I doubt that you do.”

“I definitely don’t,” Harry said, “I was willing to spend my life with Susan then she tossed it all back in my face. The only thing I feel around her is resentment.”

“I don’t blame you,” Theo admitted, “You know, until you told me a couple of years ago, I didn’t even know you were involved in the Gringotts Attack.”

“Not many people do,” Harry said honestly, “Hermione had just started out in the Ministry-”

“And she started out with the Prophet,” Theo filled in with a slight smile, “So you got her to cover it all up?”

“It was partly that, but having some money and a lot of sway in the Ministry helped,” Harry admitted with a sigh.

“Well, it’s good to be the chosen one I suppose, isn’t it?” Theo joked.

“Sometimes,” Harry said, frowning into his firewhiskey before knocking it back, “Another drink?” he said, in a bid to change the subject.

***

“Draco, do you have a minute?”

Draco looked up from his book. He had been sitting on the helm on the ship reading a book, “Yes, by all means come on up.”

Harry walked up and took a seat next to the man, “I need to talk to you about Hermione.”

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry, “Go on.”

“It has crossed my mind that as of tomorrow, it’s March,” Harry said, “And with that, the end of the tournament is nearing. Come June, you go back to Durmstrang and Hermione goes back to her boring desk job at the Ministry.”

“Yes,” Draco said, he looked a little crestfallen, “While the subject has not come up yet, we are both aware of that eventuality.”

“So what are you going to do about it?” Harry asked, “Because if you two are serious about each other, and it seems like you are, then you can’t keep a long distance relationship going.”

“I know.”

“And I don’t know if you’ve met Hermione Granger, but she isn’t going to give up her job and her life and her friends to up sticks and move to a frozen wasteland with you,” Harry pointed out.

Draco smiled somewhat sadly, “I know that she won’t, and I wouldn’t expect her to. I don’t even like that frozen wasteland too much, I find winters here cold.”

Harry chuckled, “So have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

“Not in great detail,” Draco said honestly, “As much as I would love to tell you that I would drop everything for Hermione and stay here, I can’t. I could give up being Headmaster, in a lot of ways I miss just being able to teach rather than dealing with the politics that comes with running a school. But the right job has to come up or staying here would make me miserable.”

“I understand that,” Harry said honestly,

“Have you thought about what you are going to do?” Draco quipped, “You and Daphne, that is?”

“Well, it’s a difficult one too,” Harry admitted, “Relationships between teachers are permitted, but frowned upon when one is of a higher rank. The fact she is Head of Slytherin is an issue too, the other houses could accuse me of favouritism, but the general rule according to Dumbledore is that a certain level of seriousness should be attached to that relationship.”

“Marriage,” Draco realised.

“Yep,” Harry agreed.

“So you feel ready to do that? Marry her?” Draco asked curiously.

“I’m not quite there yet, but I think I will be by the end of the term,” Harry said honestly, “We’ve been together, in one form or another, for two years.”

Draco nodded thoughtfully, “I never thought you would end up with Daphne Greengrass. I thought you would be married to Weaslette or Hermione, with at least one hatchling by now.”

Harry shot Draco an amused look, “And I never thought you would be dating Hermione. I thought you would be married to some rich heiress, like Daphne.”

Draco laughed and looked Harry in the eye, “Isn’t that ironic?”

“A little too ironic,” Harry agreed with a smile, “We have come a long way from those two kids duelling in a bathroom…”

Draco nodded his agreement, “Despite everything, I never actually hated you. To be honest I was jealous of you. You had everything that I wanted.”

“I didn’t Draco,” Harry said, no longer mirthful and joking, “I had dead parents and someone trying to kill me for 7 years.”

“Yes, you might have had that,” Draco said as he looked over at the castle, “But you had friends who liked you for who you were, not who your parents were or because of your family name. You had the respect of the Wizarding world. You had people willing to teach you, people who knew you were good enough. You had Hermione Granger.”

“And now, you have Hermione,” Harry pointed out, “And you have the respect of a whole school full of vulnerable minds. People change Draco, Hermione saw that long before I did, that was what she saw in you that I couldn’t understand. She saw the man you had become, not the boy you were when you left this country.

“Do you believe that someone’s entire nature can change?” Draco argued, “Or at heart, am I still the person I once was?”

“No, someone’s nature can’t change,” Harry agreed, “But you were never that bad. You were just pushed in all of the wrong directions. Someone once told me that we all have light and dark inside of us, but what matters is the part we choose to act on. Back then you may have acted on the dark side within you, but now you’re acting on the light side.”

“So bloody philosophical Potter,” Draco said with a genuine smile “Be careful, you really are starting to sound like Dumbledore.”

“That’s funny, I’ve been told that a lot recently,” Harry said, not particularly bothered by the comment, “Anyway, if you’re finished being self-depreciating, do you mind giving me a tour of the boat? I always wanted to see what it looked like inside.”

Draco chuckled and got to his feet, “Sure. Come on, I’ll show you the lower decks first, the magic that operates the ship down there is fascinating.”

Harry smiled to himself as he followed Draco into the ship. Some things, and in this case some people, really did change.

***

Harry found himself out on patrol that night. While he walked through a corridor on the second floor, he felt a presence. There was silence all around him, but he was sure he could hear breathing.

“Reveal yourself,” Harry said in a deep, threatening voice.

A moment later the culprit materialised, “I’m sorry Professor Potter, I was just sneaking down to the grounds to train.”

“At 1.30am?” Harry asked in disbelief.

“I didn’t do as well as I wanted in the task,” Lacey said, “And I keep going over why.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Harry reminded her, “And you’re still first in the overall tournament.”

“I know, but I still feel bad about it,” Lacey admitted, “I heard Miss. Granger talking to Miss. Bones about how you need to go to St. Mungo’s and I feel like it’s my fault for not being able to kill the sea serpent, I mean kelpie.”

Harry shook his head, “I needed to go to St. Mungo’s before this Lacey. I have an injury that needs to be checked on every so often.”

“From the war?” Lacey asked.

Harry sighed, he nodded but this was a lie. His injury had happened around a year and a half after the war had ended, “And I would ask you, please stop blaming yourself for what happened during the task. You weren’t expected to be able to defend yourself against a creature as dangerous as a kelpie. I told you before that even I could not defend myself against one.”

“Sir, you know how you told me about that time you were nearly killed by a kelpie?”

Harry nodded and Lacey frowned, “How did you survive?” She asked curiously.

“Luckily Miss. Granger saved me,” Harry said.

“She always seems to be around to save you sir,” Lacey noted.

“Yes,” Harry agreed, “She is my best friend.”

“Oh,” Lacey realised with wide eyes, “Is Miss. Bones going to be punished sir?”

“She will likely lose her job and her reputation once the investigation is over and the Ministry name her to the press,” Harry replied honestly.

“I feel guilty,” Lacey admitted, “I mean, everyone makes mistakes.”

“They do,” Harry said, “But that mistake could have killed 3 innocent students she has to be punished.”

Lacey nodded, looking down at her feet once more and seeming nervous.

“Now, it’s far too late to be out training so you had better get back to your dormitory or I’ll be calling Filch,” Harry warned her.

Lacey nodded, looking slightly brighter now, “Okay Professor, thank you.”

She quickly disillusioned herself and Harry listened to her footsteps as she crept quietly towards the dungeons. His conversation with her had reminded him that he needed to go to St. Mungo’s tomorrow to meet with Ginny about the clinical trial, and the thought made him feel sick with nerves.


	17. The Skeletons in Our Closets

“Do you feel ready for today?” Hermione asked Harry in an undertone as he pushed his breakfast around his plate.

Harry sighed, “I feel like I really don’t want to go, you know that I hate hospitals,” he said.

“I know you do,” Hermione agreed, “But think of it this way. You have two choices today. You either go to the hospital, let the Healers examine you and then you are on your way to being cured and being able to have a family someday. Or you don’t go and you will spend the next few years watching your life, Daphne and the hope of a family slipping away from you.”

“Wow Hermione,” Harry muttered, “You sure do have a way with words.”

Hermione fixed him with a stern look, “I’m serious Harry.”

“You’re being pushy,” Harry pointed out.

“Well I’m sorry Harry, but in this case I have to be the pushy one because you can’t back out this time,” Hermione said.

Harry sighed and nodded, “I’ll go, okay? I don’t think Daphne would let me back out, even if I wanted to.”

“Good,” Hermione said firmly, “And stop worrying, it will be fine.”

***

Harry was fairly quiet as he and Daphne snuck into St. Mungo’s later that morning. He let Daphne speak to the welcome witch at the desk, then she led him to the topmost floor where they found themselves in a white waiting room.

“Why is everything white?” Harry asked in an undertone, “Why can’t they make it red or something?”

“Don’t ask me, I’m not a Healer,” Daphne retorted.

Harry sighed and Daphne took his hand, “Try not to worry, it’s going to be fine.”

“I’m not worried, I’m confused,” Harry said honestly, “Why are you still with me? I mean, I know that this might help, but I’m a cripple who will probably never be able to have kids. Why would you want to spend your life looking after me?”

Daphne said in an undertone, “Harry if this trial works, you won’t be a cripple and you will be able to have a family. You just need to give it a chance. I love you and I would never give up on you, not like Susan did.”

Harry nodded and swallowed a lump in his throat, “That means a lot to me Daphne,” he told her, in a rare show of emotion.

“Harry Potter!”

Thankfully, the waiting room was empty so nobody saw Harry being led into an examination room with Daphne in tow.

“Hey Harry,” Ginny said with a smile, “Take a seat on the bed over there. Hey Daphne.”

“Hi Ginny,” Daphne said politely as she sat down next to the bed.

Harry sat down on the hospital bed looking very uncomfortable. Ginny explained that she had to do all of the standard things a Healer did at a check-up. She checked his blood pressure, his temperature, his eyes, his ears, etc. After 10 minutes it came to the part that Harry hated, the examination of the injury to his back. Ginny knew what had happened, she hadn’t been a Healer at the time but she knew about it.

“Take your shirt off so I can have a closer look Harry,” Ginny said as she readied her wand.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were trying to get me naked,” Harry joked weakly as he removed his shirt and lay on his front on the bed.

Ginny did a few standard spells to assess the damage, she hummed a little and noted some things down, “Alright Harry the preliminary assessment gives us some good results,” she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

“That’s good,” Daphne said optimistically, “Isn’t it?”

Ginny smiled slightly and said, “Yes. I had a look over your file and the Healers didn’t understand why you weren’t paralysed instantly by the injury. You were lucky Harry, if the shard that caused the injury had gone 1 centimetre deeper your spinal cord would have been severed and you would never have been able to walk again.”

“So what’s happening now?” Daphne asked Ginny, “Why did the Healers say he would eventually end up paralysed?”

“That’s the complicated part,” Ginny admitted, “The shard is still in your back Harry. The Healers couldn’t take it out at the time because it was so close to the spine that they were sure it would have caused paralysis. The worry now is that the shard is gradually getting closer to the spine which is putting pressure on your spinal cord, that would explain why the pain has gotten worse lately. I imagine the pain gets excruciating after heavy lifting or sitting in one position for too long?”

Harry nodded and Ginny continued, “So that shard of metal is moving around 10 millimetres a year which isn’t much, but it definitely will hit the spinal cord at some point if it isn’t removed.”

“Can you remove it?” Daphne asked, “Or will it still cause paralysis?”

“There is a 50% chance of paralysis if we operate,” Ginny admitted, “So I think that probably means that’s not an option for you. But I am really hoping that this clinical trial will help because it is designed to break down foreign bodies but to preserve the tissue. It should target anything not flesh or bone within your body and break it down. So, if it worked, that shard would gradually be broken down and absorbed into your bloodstream.”

“If it worked?” Harry asked.

“It’s experimental,” Ginny explained, “So we don’t know how effective the potion is going to be yet, or what side effects it may have.”

Harry and Daphne shared a long look.

“Do you want to do it?” Ginny asked, surveying them with interest.

“You must have tested on animals, there is no way you would have gotten it to the point of a clinical trial otherwise,” Daphne said, shooting Harry a sideways look, “So what side effects did the test subjects have?”

“We did conduct a series of tests on chimpanzees before getting it to this stage,” Ginny replied, “I can tell you the side effects and their probability if you want?”

“You should have all of the facts before you decide Harry,” Daphne said quietly.

Harry nodded and looked at Ginny, “Go on Ginny.”

“So there were a few minor side effects. The very likely side effects are nausea, dizziness and vomiting while your body adjusts to being on the potion. The likely side effects extreme fatigue, muscle weakness and loss of appetite. The rare side effects are temporary paralysis, this was most likely during night waking in the chimps but wore off very quickly. There is also a slim chance of the potion accidentally targeting and breaking down tissue but this only happened in one chimp out of 20 and we later found out the chimp had another illness.”

Harry sighed and looked over at Daphne, “As rubbish as it would be to spend the next few weeks feeling like crap, it would be worth it if the potion worked and the scary side effects are obviously rare.”

“I agree,” Daphne admitted.

“So right now Ginny, I think it’s my best option,” Harry said as he turned to his ex.

Daphne nodded, “I was going to say the same thing.”

“In that case I’ll give you this,” Ginny said as she scribbled out a prescription for the potion she had referred to, she then scribbled out an appointment slip and handed them both to Harry, “Hand the prescription in to the front desk and they will give you it straight away. You’ll have to come in monthly to get check-ups until the potion has finished working. It should take 2 months but it can take up to 4.’

“Okay,” Harry said, still smiling and feeling hopeful about his injury, something he never thought that he would do.

“Well thanks a lot for this Ginny, we can’t thank you enough,” Daphne said, shaking Ginny’s hand.

“Don’t worry about it, by being my test subject Harry, you’re helping me out,” Ginny said happily, “Good luck with it.”

***

“Harry.”

Harry didn’t look up from the papers he was marking, “Uh-huh?”

“We can’t not talk about the accident forever.”

Harry swallowed and stamped a grade on a paper, but he said nothing.

“She is right you know Harry,” Dumbledore’s voice said, “A burden shared is a burden halved.”

Harry sighed and looked up, “With all due respect Dumbledore, it’s none of your business.”

“Quite so my dear boy, quite so,” Dumbledore agreed,.

“But it is my business,” Daphne said, now that she had Harry’s attention, “I will quite happily go to the hospital with you and give you treatments when you need them but in return for that, do you not think you owe me an explanation?”

Harry looked away from her and rubbed his eyes.

“I’ve already worked out that it has something to do with the Gringotts Attack,” Daphne said as she edged forward, “The timing would make sense and I know it was bad, if you were in there when the dome collapsed…”

“I was underneath it when it collapsed,” Harry snapped, “And I was one of three people who came out of that area alive.”

Daphne caught his eye, “You have to talk about it Harry, to someone.”

Harry sighed and looked down. He was silent for a long time, and Daphne didn’t think he was going to say anything. She turned around, ready to head up to bed and let him sleep on it but then he began to talk.

“Sorenson and I were first on the scene…”

_“Harry, you can’t just run in there,” Sorenson said when they reached the bank, “We need to wait for back-up.”_

_“And how long is back-up going to take?” Harry asked angrily, “There are hundreds of innocent people and creatures in that bank!”_

_“And there are two of us to at least 6 Death Eaters,” Sorenson pointed out, “It’s a suicide mission.”_

_“Then only one of us needs to die,” Harry said as he stepped towards the bank, “You wait for back-up.”_

_Sorenson hovered outside the steps of the bank for a second then cursed and ran in after Harry. There was broken glass everywhere and a few small fires from smashed gas lamps. People were hunkering down behind bunkers, crying and shaking with fear._

_Five masked Death Eaters stood under the large chandelier, beneath the ornate dome._

_“Stay where you are or you will all die!” One of them shouted, it sounded like Dolohov._

_“They’re all gonna die anyway,” Another said, “As soon as Travers come back with the artefact, we’re blowing this whole fucking bank to smithereens.”_

_The other Death Eaters laughed wickedly and Harry edged forward. Sorenson grabbed him and pulled him back, “No, this isn’t a rash Gryffindor, run in and hope for the best situation,” he whispered angrily, “This is a think about it, and come up with a plan situation.”_

_“I thought you were waiting for back-up?”_

_“I’m hardly going to let my Auror partner get killed though, am I?” Sorenson muttered, “There are five of them and only two of us. We need to come up with a diversion then attack them while they are distracted. It’s the only way we stand a chance.”_

_“What if we bring the chandelier down?” Harry whispered._

_“I was thinking the same thing,” Sorenson said, “Bring the chandelier down, stun as many as we can from a distance then duel the rest. I can take two at a time in a duel.”_

_“So can I,” Harry said._

_“So we need to take two out the second that chandelier drops,” Sorenson murmured under his breath._

_“We need to get closer to do that,” Harry said._

_Sorenson nodded and they edged closer, to one of the counters that the innocent bankers and goblins were hunkering down behind. Once they were in position, Sorenson gave Harry the signal that meant, ‘Go’ and Harry brought the chandelier down with wandless magic._

_It dropped and they acted. They took down three Death Eaters which meant that they only had to duel one each. The Death Eaters didn’t know what had hit them until Harry and Sorenson ran out from their hiding place._

_Harry ended up duelling Dolohov, directly under the glass dome and Sorenson ended up duelling another Death Eater who Harry thought was Rosier, slightly further away. They were both aware of the fact that Travers was in the vaults somewhere retrieving an artefact and that he could arrive back at any moment._

_At first glance, Harry hadn’t noticed any civilians in this area. They all seemed to be hiding, but then he spotted one against the window close to where he was fighting Dolohov. She was a familiar looking redhead that he had gone to school with, he was sure that her name was Susan. She had been knocked out, probably using stupefy, but she was still alive._

_The duel with Dolohov got intense, spells began to ricochet around anything reflective in the bank and the civilians started screaming. Harry tried to contain it as best as he could, but his shield charm couldn’t cover an entire bank._

_Just as Sorenson won his duel and subdued Rosier, one of Dolohov’s spells bounced off of the metal countertop behind Harry and the beam of red light hit the centre of the glass ceiling on the dome. Before anyone knew what had hit them, the glass was raining down on them._

_They all cast Protego as fast as they could, but it wasn’t fast enough. A shard of glass sliced through Dolohov’s neck and he fell to the ground. If he hadn’t died instantly, he bled out pretty quickly. Sorenson was on the edge of the dome so although he was pinned down by a piece of metal going straight through his leg, his injury wasn’t too bad. Harry dove at Susan and covered her when it became apparent that the glass was falling faster than the shield charm could activate. If it hadn’t been for the fact his shield charms were so good, he would have died that day but the bubble had already begun to form around him when the glass reached him. The only part that was not yet closed off was his back, and that was where a shard of metal from the dome’s support had pierced him._

_When Harry woke up, Susan was sitting by his bedside._

_“You saved my life,” She said tearfully, small cuts and grazes covered her face but she still looked beautiful. Her hair was red, but more vibrant than Ginny’s and there was so much hope and light in her emerald green eyes._

_Harry pretty much fell in love with her at first sight._

_“I…” Harry trailed off, “Is everyone else okay?”_

_“The Death Eaters all died,” Susan said, “They found Travers trying to escape. Your Auror partner is going to be okay after a few months of physiotherapy and I’m fine but if you hadn’t jumped on top of me…I would have died.”_

_“It’s my job,” Harry said, “Saving the world, one beautiful girl at a time.”_

_Susan smiled radiantly at him, and Harry knew in that moment, he could spend his life with her._

“And then the guys I shared a bullpen with all came in,” Harry finished, “Just as the Healer came in to tell me that I wasn’t paralysed yet but that I would be, and that my career as an Auror was over before it had really begun.”

Daphne nodded, she had been listening intently.

“And it was all for nothing really,” Harry said with a frown, “I saved Susan’s life only for her to break my heart then try to kill one of my students…”

“It wasn’t all for nothing,” Daphne said quietly, “There were hundreds of people in the bank that day. One of them was my sister, she was getting her inheritance ahead of her wedding to Theo. If you hadn’t been there to stop those Death Eaters that day, she would have died and I wouldn’t have two beautiful nieces so although it feels like the worst thing ever, it was not for nothing.”

Harry looked up at her and tears shone in his eyes, “Thank you. I just…Merlin Daphne, do you know how long I have needed to hear that for?”

“A long time, I think,” Daphne said gently as she hugged Harry tightly.

Harry took a shaky breath and nodded, “A really long time,” he agreed.

***

“Did you read what the prophet wrote about me?”

Ernie sighed, “Yep.”

“What is the sigh for?” Susan fumed as she stood on his doorstep, “I didn’t deserve that.”

Ernie took a step back and let her walk into his flat, “Well you did set a kelpie on a student. What did you expect?”

“Shut up Ernie!” Susan snapped, “You shouldn’t be on Harry’s side, he sacked you!”

“Yeah I’m well aware of that thanks Susan,” Ernie said irritably, “I can’t get a job for the life of me because he let me go without a fucking reference so the world does not revolve around you!”

“Ernie, this is so much worse than what happened to you,” Susan said in disbelief, “You were sacked of your job as a shitty teacher at a shitty school. I was sacked as Head of department, head of my bloody department! And I have a trial, so depending on how that goes I might not even get to see out the end of the bloody tournament!”

“Some friend you are,” Ernie said dryly, “Thanks for the support there Susan.”

Susan ignored him and continued, “And can you believe Hermione gave them a statement? Well of course she did, when she’s not sucking up to Harry, she’s screwing Draco Malfoy. I mean ugh!”

“Hermione’s screwing Draco Malfoy?” Ernie asked in disbelief.

“Yes Ernie, catch up. Your ex has moved on to pastures new,” Susan said with a wave of her hand, “Merlin, I did not deserve this.”

“Susan, you set a kelpie loose on a bunch of fucking students so stop acting like the world is against you!” Ernie snapped.

“Oh for the love of Merlin, it was an accident!”

“It doesn’t matter, it could have killed somebody!”

“But it didn’t!” Susan snapped, “And you are obviously not on my side so I’m wasting my time here! This is all Harry’s fault, and do you know what he deserves? For the world to find out that he’s just a pathetic fucking cripple so I’m taking this conversation to the prophet.”

“You do that then,” Ernie said, practically shoving her out the door then adding, “You vindictive little bitch.”

***

When Harry walked into the great hall on what he thought was an ordinary Sunday morning, he could not for the life of him, work out why everyone was staring at him. The hall had gone silent and the students were all looking at him, many of them sympathetically.

He frowned and walked through them to the Head table where he saw Daphne looking anxious and Hermione biting her lip.

“What the hell has happened?” He asked in an undertone.

Hermione pushed the Sunday edition of the prophet into his hands and his face fell as he began to read…

** _“HARRY POTTER’S TRAGIC SECRET”_ **

** **

_“New information has recently come to light surrounding the famous attack on Gringotts in November 1999. Harry Potter and then Auror partner, Sorenson Cauldwell, were the first on the scene. It was not known that Potter was involved in the attack, but this was because it was all hushed up at the time to cover up Potter’s tragic secret injury…_

_An eye witness recently told this reporter the true story about what really happened that fateful day when six Death Eaters were killed and several civilians seriously injured. Aurors Potter and Sorenson held off five Death Eaters single-handedly, but when a spell ricocheted and brought down the glass dome of the bank, Harry Potter’s life was changed forever. _

_An unnamed Healer who treated Potter confirmed the eye witnesses story that a piece of metal embedded itself in Potter’s back which could not be removed through operating without the chance of paralysis. The conclusion? The piece of metal was to remain in Potter’s spine, but within 5 to 10 years he would become paralysed._

_Our tragic hero’s story, it seems, gets even sadder. Doomed to fight Lord Voldemort alone, he is now doomed to a lonely, childless fate. Perhaps the reason why he has taken his role of Headmaster of Hogwarts in his stride. Potter may not be able to have his own children, but he can hone the minds of the nation’s children._

_How, you may ask, was this information not made public knowledge? It may just be a coincidence that Harry Potter’s best friend, Hermione Granger, was at the time of the attack, working as Assistant to the Editor in Chief of the Daily Prophet…”_

“I want to kill that bitch,” Hermione hissed under her breath, “I know we don’t condone violence against each other’s exes Harry, but in this case, can you allow an exception?”

“As much as I want you to hurt her, it isn’t going to help your situation, is it?” Harry asked quietly, “Everyone knows I’m a cripple now, but this won’t do anything to my career. What was said about you, it could do damage.”

“I knew that at the time, but I still took the risk and covered it up for you,” Hermione pointed out, “I want to get to the top at the Ministry Harry, I always knew this was going to come out one day. Better now than when I’m running for Minister.”

“You want to run for Minister?” Draco asked in disbelief.

“She’s Hermione Granger,” Neville said with a smile, “Did you honestly think she’d stop at Head of her department by 25?”

“Well,” Draco said, “When you put it like that, no.”

Daphne leaned across the table, “Do you think you should address the students? They are all very quiet, I think they might need to hear something from you.”

Harry sighed, but nodded, “You’re right, I’ll do it now.”

He got to his feet and stood at the podium at the front of the hall. He didn’t even need to call for silence because the hall was already quiet and the students were already watching him, as if they had been waiting for him to address them.

“By now I’m sure you have all read the article in this mornings prophet,” Harry said solemnly, “And I can confirm that it is true. I do have a debilitating injury that could cause me to become paralysed one day soon. However, I am receiving experimental treatment for it, in the hope that it might be a miracle cure. I do believe that some things are just meant to be, because if it was not for this injury which ended my career as an Auror, I would never have found my way back to this school and I would not have spent the last four years getting to know, and having the pleasure to teach all of you.”

There were smiles around the hall, then one Gryffindor stood up and began to clap; it was Williamson. Jones followed him, and before long, every student in the hall was on their feet clapping.

Harry couldn’t hide the tears that shone in his eyes at that show of respect and loyalty from the students. It made everything seem worth it.

***

When Hermione found a memo on her desk on Monday morning, her heart leapt into her throat.

_“Minister has arranged a meeting with you: 9.30am on Monday morning.”_

Hermione swallowed and glanced at the time, it was 9.15am now. She knew what it was about, but that only made her feel worse as she trudged up to Kingsley’s office. When she got there, his assistant smiled at her and told her to take a seat.

5 minutes later, she sat down in front of the Minister for Magic, “Good morning sir.”

Kingsley smiled at her, “After all these years and a war Hermione, how often do I tell you to call me Kingsley?”

Hermione smiled weakly, “Sorry sir, I mean Kingsley. It’s a force of habit.”

Kingsley chuckled, “I am sorry to call you here so early but I need to address what was said in the prophet yesterday.”

Hermione nodded and visibly swallowed.

“Is it true? Tell me the truth please Hermione.”

“Yes,” Hermione said honestly, “I helped to cover it up so that Harry’s injury could be kept out of the press. He was embarrassed and didn’t want it to be made public.”

“That in itself is understandable, you covering that up is a little shady but given that it was done in good faith, it does not concern me,” Kingsley said honestly, “And assuming that the tournament is plain sailing from here on out, it will not affect your promotion.”

“My promotion?” Hermione asked in surprise.

Kingsley smiled at her again, “There was a reason that I put you in charge of this tournament Hermione. I wanted to see how you handled the press, I wanted to see how you got Heads of schools with conflicting values to work together, I wanted to see how you worked under pressure. I was testing you on all of these things to make sure that you were ready to become my undersecretary.”

Hermione’s jaw dropped, “Undersecretary?”

Kingsley’s smile was unwavering, “Assuming you want the job, that is?”

“Want the job?” Hermione asked in disbelief, “Of course I want the job! Oh my gosh sir, I mean Kingsley, that would be incredible.”

“Consider it yours under one condition, you need to call me Kingsley,” He said.

Hermione laughed and said, “I can do that, Kingsley.”

Kingsley chuckled, “Now I suggest you head off. From what I hear, you have a busy few weeks ahead of you setting up Susan’s trial.”

Hermione nodded, still feeling elated at the news, “I do, and thank you Kingsley. Thank you so much.”

***

“Draco! I’m getting promoted!”

Draco stepped back, “Woah, slow down.”

“Sorry,” Hermione said sheepishly, she had literally just let herself into his cabin and launched herself in his general direction, “But Kingsley told me this morning that I’m getting promoted to Undersecretary once the tournament is over.”

Draco’s eyes widened, “Undersecretary? Wow Hermione, that is amazing!”

“I know!” Hermione squealed, but then her face fell, “But with a promotion like that, I have to stay in the UK and…you need to leave at the end of the term to go back to Durmstrang.”

“Yes, unfortunately I do,” Draco agreed reluctantly.

Hermione sighed and sat down heavily, “I feel like this is just like Theo all over again. As soon as I start to get happy, something goes wrong.”

“Hey, do not compare me to Theo,” Draco said with a frown, “I am far better than Theo, I would never run off and leave you to save my inheritance for a start.”

“Draco,” Hermione said quietly, “This is serious.”

“I know it is,” Draco said, “Which is why I need to ask something of you that I feel is unfair.”

Hermione’s eyes widened, “Draco, please don’t ask me to go with you. I can’t say yes and I don’t want to hurt your feelings-”

“No,” Draco cut in, “I would never ask you to come with me. I know you wouldn’t say yes, and I wouldn’t expect you to. I was going to say that it may take a while, but I will be looking for a job over here so will you wait for me if that is the case?”

Hermione burst into tears which alarmed Draco, “Why are you crying? Does that mean yes or no?”

“It’s just so romantic,” Hermione said tearfully, “Like a scene out of the Notebook.”

“What on earth is the Notebook?” Draco asked in bemusement.

“It’s a really good film, I’ll show you sometime,” Hermione said, she wiped her eyes, “Of course I’ll wait for you, you idiot. Durmstrang isn’t that far away so we can write, I mean I wrote to Viktor, and you have fireplaces there don’t you?”

“Its below freezing for 10 months of the year, of course we have fireplaces,” Draco joked.

“So it will be fine,” Hermione said, grabbing his hand and smiling at him, “And you’re right, you’re nothing like Theo. You are hundred, no a million, times better than him.”

Draco just smiled and pulled her in for a hug, “Congratulations on your promotion Hermione, I’m really proud of you.”

***

“What _are _you doing?” Daphne asked when she saw Harry pouring over blueprints at 2am one night.

“Looking over the blueprints of the school,” Harry yawned, sipping coffee from a mug on the desk.

“Why?” Daphne asked incredulously.

“Because very soon, I may lose the ability to use my legs and this school is not at all accessible to those without legs,” Harry pointed out.

Daphne frowned slightly, “Uh…but it’s a magical school Harry.”

“And?” Harry asked, “Have you seen a disabled student? Because in my time as a student and working here, I never have.”

“It is rare,” Daphne admitted, “Because many diseases that can cause disability in the muggle world are curable here but there was one girl in our year. Don’t you remember Su?”

“Who?” Harry asked.

“Su Li?” Daphne said, “She was in Ravenclaw. She only had the one leg, and she got around on a magic carpet.”

“Aren’t they illegal?” Harry asked.

“Yes, but I imagine she got a special permit because of her disability,” Daphne said offhandedly, “But that’s not the point, how did you not notice her flying up and down the grand staircase on a flying carpet?”

Harry frowned, “I have no idea…”

“Then there was Valerie Cairns as well,” Daphne said thoughtfully, “She was a couple of years below us in school, she had muscle weakness so she couldn’t walk for long periods of time. She just had to stand on the staircase and it would automatically take her where she wanted to go to save her going up and down lots of stairs. I mean, the point I’m making is that the school is sentient and you are its Headmaster so if you lose the ability to use your legs, it will probably just open up secret passageways to the parts of the castle you use the most.”

“Why did I not think of that?” Harry asked, scratching his head.

“Because you are stressed, overworked, and it’s 2am,” Daphne said, pulling him out of his chair, “You need to come to bed and sleep.”

Harry yawned and let her drag him in the direction of the bedroom, “And you need to face the fact, very soon, that you should not be teaching DADA anymore.”

“Daphne, we don’t know if my injury is going to heal or-”

“Not because of that,” Daphne said as they got into bed, “Because there is a reason why Headmasters don’t keep teaching their subjects if they can help it.”

“Dumbledore did,” Harry pointed out.

“For the first two years then he probably realised, like you are now, that’s it’s impossible,” Daphne said gently, “Harry, you have one free period a week and 9 times out of 10 you end up spending that dealing with the board of governors. You are up till midnight or later every night catching up on marking and paperwork, it’s too much.”

Harry sighed and shut his eyes, “I don’t want to give up teaching Daphne, I love it.”

“Leave it with me,” Daphne said, looking at him properly, “I’ll talk to Hermione and we’ll come up with something that allows you to teach, but frees you up to be Headmaster properly. Okay?”

“Okay,” Harry agreed.

“Now sleep,” Daphne said, kissing him gently on the lips, “You’re up in about 4 hours for breakfast for heaven’s sake.”

“Alright,” Harry said sleepily, “I love you.”

“I love you too, goodnight Harry.”


	18. The Trial

_Knock. Knock._

When Hermione opened the door at 8pm that Friday night, she expected it to be Draco. She did not expect to see Daphne standing on her doorstep holding a bottle of wine.

“Hey Hermione,” Daphne said cheerfully, “Are you alone, minus the 100 cats? I could do with a brainstorm.”

“I have five cats,” Hermione muttered, pulling the door back to let her in, “Why does everyone act like I’m a crazy cat lady?”

“Five is borderline crazy cat lady,” Daphne pointed out, “Oh but the kitten is so cute!”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Bloody Slytherins.”

“Where is your kitchen?” Daphne asked as she wandered around the flat like she lived there.

“That door there,” Hermione said, scooping up Merlin and following her.

“Wine glasses are in the top of that cupboard,” She added.

Daphne got the glasses down and poured out the wine, she handed one to Hermione who took it and raised an eyebrow at the blonde girl, “What is going on?”

“How do we get Harry to step down from teaching DADA?” Daphne asked calmly as she sipped her wine.

“We don’t,” Hermione said simply, “I mean, have you met Harry?”

“Yes, that is the problem,” Daphne said matter of factly, “But he’s running himself into the ground trying to do two jobs Hermione. He has no free time, he needs to focus on being Headmaster and he can’t do that if he’s grading papers and teaching kids all day.”

“But throwing Bertie Botts at smart arse Gryffindors and teaching kids how to defend against boggarts and dementors, that’s what he loves Daphne,” Hermione pointed out, “You can’t just expect him to give all that up.”

“Well what if he didn’t have to give it up entirely?” Daphne asked, “What if he could keep running the duelling club and teach a special N.E.W.T level class or something?”

Hermione smiled slightly, “In essence, you want to strike a deal with him, don’t you?”

“Pretty much,” Daphne agreed, “I need bargaining chips. You know like, “Harry give up DADA _but _have this instead”.”

“It’s probably the only way you will convince him to give it up,” Hermione said honestly, “And as for the duelling club, yes definitely keep him in charge of that if Ginny’s miracle cure works. I like your idea of him teaching a class too, if he taught a class that was exclusively for N.E.W.T level students he would only need to do 2 to 4 classes a week which would be very manageable around his schedule as Headmaster.”

“The question is, what though?”” Daphne mused, she sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, “I thought maybe an introduction to Auror training, but it’s too niche.”

“It is too niche, you’re right,” Hermione agreed as she sat down opposite Daphne, “But there’s this thing in muggle school. We have an advanced class in our last year of school and I know some subjects offer that but DADA doesn’t, does it?”

Daphne shook her head, “I offer Advanced Potions Making in 7th year but the class very rarely runs because it requires at least 10 students and it’s rare that so many people want to take it.”

“But don’t you think DADA would get at least 10 students? An advanced class taught by the Headmaster and saviour of the wizarding world himself?” Hermione asked.

“Thanks for the confidence knock there Hermione,” Daphne joked, “But you’re right, Harry would draw in a lot of students.”

“And that way he could teach the things he loves, but have a lot more free time to devote to being Headmaster,” Hermione pointed out.

“It is a good plan,” Daphne said, she raised her wine glass, “I knew coming here was a good idea, cheers!”

“Cheers,” Hermione agreed, chinking her glass against Daphne’s.

***

“Where have you been?” Harry joked when Daphne stepped into his office.

“I mean it’s 1am and you smell like wine, do I need to be worried?”

“Not unless I suddenly decide that I’m into girls and run off with your best friend,” Daphne said, sitting down across from him, “Why are you still working? It’s 1am on a Friday night, I thought we had already had this discussion Harry.”

“And I told you I would think about it,” Harry said evasively.

“That was 2 weeks ago,” Daphne pointed out.

“I’m still thinking about it,” Harry said.

“Well think about this,” Daphne said firmly, she swung her feet onto his desk and knocked a pile of papers onto the floor, making him shake his head in amusement at her, “You give up DADA but you take the duelling club back from Neville. Then as of next year, you start a new class.”

“A new class?” Harry asked, suddenly taking interest.

Daphne nodded, “Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts. For 7th years only, you teach it between 2 and 4 times a week.”

Harry looked at her for a moment, “Who came up with this? You or Hermione?”

“It was a combination of my brilliant mind and her knowledge of how your less than brilliant mind works,” Daphne retorted.

Harry laughed, “Okay. Theoretically I could be persuaded, but where do I get a DADA professor with less than a years notice? I’m already scrabbling for a Transfiguration professor and I need to beg Lilly to stay on a permanent basis.”

“Did you seriously just ask that question?” Daphne asked in disbelief.

Harry frowned, then realisation dawned, “Oh…yeah! Now…that, Daphne, that could take a _lot _of persuading.”

“I know, but I’m willing to help you cut a deal,” Daphne smirked.

Harry narrowed his eyes at her, “What’s in it for you?”

“A boyfriend who actually comes to bed with me rather than stays up working half the night,” Daphne said, giving him a suggestive look.

Harry just chuckled as he let his tipsy girlfriend pull him out of his chair, “You Slytherins, you always have an ulterior motive,” he teased as she dragged him up the stairs towards their bedroom.

***

“Harry!” Hermione called as she walked into his office at Hogwarts.

“Hey Hermione,” Harry said brightly as he looked up from his marking.

“Did you remember to take your potion today?” Hermione asked as she put some coffee down on the desk in front of him.

“I did,” Harry said with a yawn as he accepted the coffee, “My back hasn’t hurt at all in the two weeks since I started taking it.”

“That’s great,” Hermione said happily.

“Yeah, Gin reckons in a month or so the treatment will be finished and hopefully I’ll be fully cured,” Harry said with a beam on his face.

“That’s really great Harry,” Hermione said, “Sorry I haven’t been around that much over the last two weeks. We’ve just been getting things ready for Susan’s trial, and the clean-up is still on-going.”

“Did the Nott’s sue?” Harry asked curiously.

Hermione shook her head, “No thankfully not. The Minister is angry though and as I’m sure you’ve read, the Diggory’s aren’t exactly thrilled either. They never wanted this tournament to take place.”

“So basically what the Ministry hoped would give them good propaganda has turned around and slapped them in the face,” Harry said.

“That’s exactly what has happened,” Hermione said with a heavy sigh, “It makes me wonder whether Susan did this on purpose.”

“She wouldn’t do that Hermione,” Harry said quickly, “I know you don’t exactly see eye to eye with her but she would never put something in there knowing it could kill innocent children.”

“Since when where you on her side?” Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I didn’t realise there were sides,” Harry admitted.

“Of course there are sides Harry! You’re giving evidence against her at the trial!” Hermione snapped.

“Since when?” Harry asked in disbelief.

“That was actually what I came here to tell you,” Hermione said as she got to her feet, “But it looks like you wouldn’t give objective evidence anyway.”

“Hermione,” Harry said with a sigh, “Of course I’d give objective evidence. I’m hardly going to lie about what happened, am I? I just wish you hadn’t sprung it on me like that.”

“I’m sorry,” Hermione said honestly, “I’m just so stressed right now.”

“I know the feeling,” Harry said as he yawned once more, “The board of governors are outraged about the incident and are demanding a meeting with me so that I can prove the school is safe for their children,” he let his head drop into his hands, “I had actually started to think this competition would be smooth sailing.”

“When is anything at Hogwarts ever smooth sailing?” Hermione asked with a slight smile.

Harry laughed out loud despite it all, “Never when you and I are around.”

***

Harry had promised Daphne one Saturday evening, that he would get an early night and definitely not work late, while she headed out for an evening with Lilly. The two of them seemed to be enjoying reconnecting and Harry was hoping he could use that, plus Lilly’s infatuation with Neville, to coerce her into staying on a permanent basis.

As it turned out, Harry didn’t work late, but he did spend some time in his old DADA office thinking about the new class he was going to teach the following year. He classed that as fun, rather than work.

On his way back to his actual office, he heard voices and at first he thought it was students out of bed until he realised that the voices belonged to Daphne and Lilly. He knew it would be wrong to eavesdrop on his girlfriend and her best friend, but as he was Harry Potter, he decided to do so anyway.

“That was the weirdest night of my life Lilly, and that’s saying something,” Daphne said.

“I can’t believe you have never seen a sci-fi film before, I mean how were you my best friend for so long?” Lilly joked, “You are a science fiction, double feature virgin no more Daph.”

Daphne snorted, “Those two films were some of the weirdest shit I have ever seen.”

“Do you know something, those two films actually put stuff into perspective for me?” Lilly mused, “I mean Neville is my Seymour you know, and Blane was my Orin.”

“Are you saying that your curse breaker ex was a semi-sadist?” Daphne asked in disbelief.

Harry had no clue what the hell they were talking about.

“No, but he was a bit…well he was quite controlling if you catch my drift,” Lilly said, “But Seymour…that’s Neville. You know, he loves his plants so much he would feed them his blood, he’s just a genuine guy…but at the same time, he would totally save the world if the plants turned evil and started killing people like in Day of the Triffids.”

“How the hell did my Saturday night end up like this?” Daphne asked with a chuckle.

“And then I guess he’s kind of like Brad too…”

“Right, do not get me started on Rocky Horror, I am still disturbed from that time you made me dress up and go see that with you after the war,” Daphne said.

“But you know, he’s just like the guy next door-”

“I get the point Lilly,” Daphne said, “And if you’re so convinced that he’s the protagonist in all of these films you seem to like, why don’t you just hurry up and shag him already?”

“Because…”

“You don’t actually have an excuse, do you?”

“No,” Lilly admitted, “Apart from that I think he thinks I’m weird. You know I like weird muggle things and he’s a Pureblood who likes pureblood things.”

“He’s hardly a proper pureblood,” Daphne snorted, “I mean, have you met Neville? Now Draco, he is a pureblood. Pretentious, had no fucking clue what electricity was and believes that there are people living in Hermione’s television, a whole race of people.”

Lilly cackled at that.

“That is a proper pureblood,” Daphne pointed out, “Neville, isn’t. He’s one of the most open, genuine people that you will meet. What you see is what you get, which for me is boring but I have always liked the more dangerous, thrill-seeking sort of men so…”

“So you ended up with the biggest thrill-seeker wizarding Britain has ever seen,” Lilly finished, “Go figure, and for the record, I kind of like an open book. I’m fed up of having to decipher people, I do that enough with bloody runes.”

“I can’t believe you just compared your love life to ancient runes,” Daphne muttered under her breath, “How is my best friend such a nerd?”

“Hey if you’re trying to convince me to keep this job at the end of term, you aren’t going about it the best way,” Lilly joked.

“Oh come on Lil, you’re obviously going to keep the job,” Daphne smirked, “I’m here and Neville’s here, why on earth would you want to leave?”

Lilly snorted as they reached her quarters, “You’ve been dating Harry Potter for too long Daph, you need to deflate that ego of yours,” she said, before disappearing and leaving Daphne chuckling in the corridor.

***

“What are you humming?” Neville asked Lilly curiously the following Sunday morning while she helped him move the mandrakes into their own separate area of the greenhouse.

“Oh just a song from a film I forced Daphne to watch last night,” Lilly said.

“It sounds familiar,” Neville said, “Is it one I’ve been forced to watch too?”

“Uh-huh,” Lilly said, “Little Shop of Horrors, do you remember it?”

“The one about the plants that take over the world, in song form?” Neville joked.

“Yep,” Lilly grinned, “Daphne hated it.”

“I loved that film, it was why I named my first venomous tentacula Audrey,” Neville chuckled, “And why that one is Audrey II.”

“I know,” Lilly smiled, “But you’re not really a proper pureblood like Daphne, are you? I mean you aren’t a pretentious git with a manor and an inheritance and a title, you know?”

“Well I do, I just don’t brag about them,” Neville said offhandedly.

Lilly looked up in surprise, “What?”

“Longbottom House is basically a ruin, I’m going to let the earth take it back over, I think my parents would like that,” Neville said, he took his earmuffs off and looked at her, “And technically I could use the title Viscount, but I don’t need to so why would I? I got an inheritance when I turned 21, but I just put it into Gringotts. Figured it might come in handy for travelling or something one day, you know?”

“Neville,” Lilly said in disbelief, “Is it actually possible to be more down to earth than you are?”

“I don’t know, what do you mean?” Neville asked cluelessly.

“You probably don’t even need to work, but you work in one of the most underrated positions in Hogwarts. You are totally unassuming, I mean I like to think I know you relatively well but I did not know any of that stuff about you,” Lilly said as she surveyed him.

Neville shrugged, “I like working, I like teaching the kids you know? I probably don’t need to work, but I don’t know what I would do with my time if I didn’t.”

Lilly shook her head at him.

“What?” Neville asked self-consciously.

“You are just something else,” Lilly said honestly, unable to keep the smile from her face.

***

“Okay so riddle me this, how does someone have a title and an inheritance and a manor and just not make a big deal out of it?”

Daphne smiled slightly at Lilly who had cornered her in the dungeons, “I know what you mean.”

“So you knew about Neville?” Lilly asked.

“No, but I know what you mean because I had something similar with Harry,” Daphne said honestly, “Harry didn’t even know that he had a title or that there was a Potter Manor. He knew there was a Gringotts vault, but he had no idea that it was an inheritance he would come into on his 21st birthday. I had to explain all of that to him not long after I started sleeping with him.”

Lilly shook her head in disbelief, “Those two are really similar…”

Daphne nodded, “Yes they are, I think that’s why they are close but not best friend close. They are too similar, if you get what I mean?”

“I get you,” Lilly said, “But what is Harry’s title then? Neville said technically he could use Viscount if he wanted to.”

“Oh Harry could call himself an Earl if he wanted to,” Daphne said, “But when I told him that he had a better title than my Father who is a Baron, that came as a complete surprise to him.”

Lilly shook her head, “What is it with Gryffindor men being completely unassuming”

Daphne smiled, “I don’t know, but it’s a nice change from pureblooded, entitled Slytherin men,” she said honestly.

“And curse breakers who think the sun shines out of their arse,” Lilly added.

“So are you going to bite the bullet and sleep with him then?” Daphne asked matter of factly.

“I think I’d like to,” Lilly said, smirking at her best friend as she slipped out of the dungeons, “But he’s so unassuming, I might give him a heart attack!”

Daphne’s laughter echoed around the dungeon classroom as her best friend stalked away in the general direction of the upper school.

***

“Morning Hermione,” Hermione’s co-worker said as she slinked past her into her office.

Hermione yawned as she sat down behind her desk and immersed herself in paperwork. She forgot about the world and the time passed blissfully quickly until a knock on her door drew her out of her work-filled daze.

Hermione was surprised because it was a Sunday, the office was usually deserted on a Sunday bar a few work obsessed people like Hermione. She frowned and called, “Come in.”

The person who walked through the door was someone familiar to Hermione because she had worked with her for the last 5 years. It was Tracey Davis, who had been a Slytherin in the same year as Hermione when they were at Hogwarts.

“I just thought I would come in and remind you that the trial is tomorrow,” Tracey said as she leant against Hermione’s desk.

“What trial?” Hermione asked sleepily.

Tracey raised an eyebrow at the woman who was essentially her boss, “The trial we’ve been planning for the last month,” she said as she pushed a folder into Hermione’s hands, “You’re really sleep deprived right now, aren’t you?”

Hermione sighed heavily, “Yes, sorry Tracey. I’m exhausted,” she admitted.

Tracey narrowed her eyes at Hermione, “Okay I know you’re my boss but right now, I need to get real with you so switch on. This trial is so important, you cannot be an exhausted mess for it. This woman nearly killed an innocent student, she’s going down for it and unless you wake the hell up, she’s going to walk free,”

Hermione got to her feet angrily, “How dare you talk to me like that? I am your superior!”

“How dare you act like your latest boyfriend?” Tracey snapped back, the two women were friends but they both had tempers on them, “You have spent the last two weeks walking around like a zombie, not paying attention to anything but work! If you’re going to bury yourself in work then at least do it properly!”

Hermione sighed, “I’m sorry, you’re right I’ve been trying to balance too much. Kingsley telling me I would get a promotion if the tournament went smooth sailing from here on out, that panicked me a little. I’ve barely seen Draco all week because I’ve been trying to make sure this trial is perfect as well as double, then triple checking every bit of paperwork for the third task after what happened with the kelpie.”

“I get it,” Tracey assured her, “But I needed to snap you back to reality a little too, I’m sorry.”

Hermione shook her head, “Don’t be, you did the right thing.”

Tracey nodded and grabbed the door handle, “See you tomorrow for the trial, _well rested_.”

Hermione smiled and nodded, “Tracey?”

“Yeah?” Tracey said, turning around before she left the office.

“Thanks,” Hermione said with a smile.

Tracey smiled back and shrugged, “I know you would have done the same for me,” she said as she left the office.

***

Hermione felt sick with nerves as she sat in one of the small court rooms on level 10 of the Ministry. This wasn’t going to be a full trial, it was held by the Department of International Magical Cooperation in conjunction with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. There would be representatives from the Department of Magical Games and Sports too. A judge would rule over the trial, but there would be no Wizengamot as it was an inter-department tribunal.

There was an elevated seating platform where members of each department would sit, and a box in the centre for the judge. Then there was a platform where the evidence would be given. As this was only a small court room there were three rows of seating at the front for those who would give evidence in defence of and for the prosecution of Susan.

At the moment, the judge was arranging his files and Hermione was sitting nervously flicking through the folder Tracey had given her the day before. Next to her was the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Roger Davies. In place of the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports was the Assistant Head, Oliver Wood.

The rest of the court-room was empty at the moment, the three representatives were required to be here early to get prepared for the trial.

“Are you alright?” Roger Davies asked Hermione from where he sat next to her, “You look a little pale.”

“I’m nervous,” Hermione admitted.

“Didn’t you negotiate one of the biggest government peace treaties last year?” Roger asked with a chuckle.

Hermione managed a small laugh at this, “Yeah, yet I’m nervous at the thought of a trial.”

“I get it,” Roger said honestly, “You have held a fair few of these, but you have never had to give evidence at one.”

“Exactly,” Hermione said as she swallowed and took a deep breath.

***

Hermione and Susan never even made eye contact when she walked in and took her seat at the front of the courtroom. The defence made their way in next, this included a Kelpie specialist, and two lawyers. Finally the prosecution entered the room which included Draco, Fleur, Theo and Lacey, who would all give statements. At the back of the group was Harry who walked into the room and shot a Hermione a comforting smile then sat down in the front row.

The judge then stood up to begin the trial, “We are here today to assess the state of Susan Bones in relation to an incident involving a Kelpie that led to the injury of a student. Would you like to start us off Miss. Granger?”

Hermione gave a fake smile and got to her feet, “The prosecution argue that, the endangerment of Miss. Lacey Nott, was down to gross negligence on behalf of Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Susan Bones. Strict procedures should have been in place to avoid such an incident ever occurring, had Miss. Bones followed these procedures appropriately then the problem would never have arisen. To support our case we call our first witness, Madame Fleur Delacour-Weasley.”

Fleur got up gracefully and made her way to the podium where she would be questioned.

“Madame Delacour-Weasley,” Hermione said politely, “Can you tell us what you saw on the morning of the 26th of February?”

“I saw what I thought was a sea serpent turn to my sister who ran from it and injured her ankle. I then later saw the same creature emerge from the ice, that should have been impenetrable, and drag Miss. Nott into the lake,” Fleur answered.

“In your opinion, did the creature pose a reasonable threat to Miss. Nott?” Hermione asked.

Fleur nodded, “Yes, it posed a great threat. I was sure that the creature would kill Miss. Nott until Headmaster Potter saved her.”

“Without Headmaster Potter’s interference what do you believe might have happened?” Hermione asked curtly.

“I am almost certain that Miss. Nott would have died,” Fleur answered.

Hermione nodded, “That will be all Madame Delacour-Weasley.”

“Does the defence wish to cross-examine?” The judge asked, looking at the two lawyers flanking Susan.

One of them nodded, “Yes Sir,” he said as he got to his feet.

“Madame Delacour-Weasley, did you notice that the creature was not a sea serpent?” He asked.

“No,” Fleur replied honestly.

“Do you have any involvement with the planning or organization of the tasks or the tournament?” He then asked.

“No,” Fleur replied again.

“So you have no way of knowing whether or not Miss. Bones was the reason that the Kelpie ended up in that lake?” He asked finally.

“That’s correct,” Fleur said, feeling useless.

“That will be all,” The lawyer said smugly as Fleur made her way back to her seat.

Hermione sighed, this was not a good start, “We now call forward one of our primary witnesses, Miss. Lacey Nott.”

Lacey looked rather shaky as she made her way towards the podium and stood on it with a pale face.

“Miss. Nott, can you please tell us what you remember from the morning of the 26th of February?”

Lacey nodded and took a deep breath, “I remember that the task had gone well and that I was nearing the finish when I was distracted by a loud noise. The ground then opened up beneath me and I fell over, I hit my head and fainted, but the last thing I remember was being dragged underwater.”

“Can you describe the creature that grabbed you?” Hermione asked gently.

“It looked like a sea serpent, but it had bright red eyes, and I seem to remember only one incredibly rare breed of sea serpent having red eyes,” Lacey said, still shaking a little as she recounted the memory.

“Can you share with us what the nurse who examined you said?” Hermione asked, again keeping her voice soft and gentle.

Lacey nodded once more, “I was told that I was lucky to be alive. Had Headmaster Potter not gotten to me when he did I would have suffered brain damage.”

“Thank you Miss. Nott, that is all,” Hermione said with a soft smile.

“Would the defence like to cross-examine?” The judge asked and once more the lawyers nodded.

“Do you have any indication that Miss. Bones was involved in the incident you refer to?” He asked lazily.

“No,” Lacey replied honestly.

“Did Miss. Bones ever act in such a way to suggest she may be involved in such an incident?” He asked.

“Not that I know of,” Lacey answered again as she swallowed hard.

“That’s all,” The lawyer said, smirking as he sat back down.

Hermione sighed, they were losing this badly, she decided to skip Theo because she knew she wouldn’t get any extra information from him than she had gotten from Lacey and Fleur, “We will now call our main witness Headmaster Harry Potter to the stand,” Hermione said.

Harry got to his feet and made his way to the podium.

“Mr. Potter, can you please tell us what you remember from the morning of the 26th of February?” Hermione asked him.

“Like the others I remember a creature we believed to be a sea serpent attacking Miss. Nott from beneath the ice. I also remember Miss. Gabrielle Delacour meeting the creature earlier in the task.”

“Did anything about this encounter startle you?” Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, “Yes, I thought it was odd that the sea serpent only looked at Miss. Delacour when she made a noise. I seem to recall sea serpents having a good sense of smell, but not a great sense of hearing.”

Hermione then asked, “Why did you feel the need to interfere when the rules of the tournament specifically state that mentors and judges should not interfere in the tasks?”

“I believed Miss. Nott would die if I did not interfere,” Harry said simply.

Hermione nodded, “That is all.”

“We wish to cross-examine,” The same lawyer said as he stood up and faced Harry.

“Are you involved in the organization of the tasks in this tournament in any way Mr. Potter?” He asked.

“No,” Harry replied honestly.

“And do you have any evidence to support the fact that Miss. Bones was involved with the Kelpie ending up in that lake?” The lawyer then asked.

“No,” Harry replied with a sigh.

“Then all you can say is that the Kelpie was a danger? You cannot confirm that Miss. Bones was involved in any way?”

“That is correct,” Harry stated.

“Also Mr. Potter, you say that you had concerns when you saw Miss. Delacour interact with the creature?”

“Yes,” Harry confirmed.

“Do you have any qualifications relating to magical creatures beyond your O.W.L in the subject?” The lawyer asked.

“No,” Harry admitted.

“So you are in no way qualified enough to know the intricate differences between a sea serpent and a kelpie then?”

“No,” Harry agreed.

“That’s all,’” The lawyer said smugly as Harry went back to his seat.

Hermione was cursing under her breath, they were losing the case badly.

“The defence may now present their case,” Hermione said as she sat down and let Roger Davies stand up.

“The defence argue that the system is to blame for the Kelpie ending up in the lake during this task, they argue that Miss. Bones is not in any way at fault. They present their first speaker, Mr. Thomas Wilson, a Kelpie Keeper.”

This man took the podium and was then questioned by Roger.

“Do you believe Kelpies are distinguishable from sea serpents?”

“In their natural form yes, they are very different,” The Keeper said, “However this particular Kelpie takes the form of a sea serpent around 90% of the time it has been sighted. The only distinction is the eyes which are red instead of orange, even then this is a small difference.”

“So Miss. Bones could have accidentally transported a Kelpie?”

“Yes, she could easily have done this. However there _should _be regulations in place to stop this from happening.”

“Objection,” Hermione cut in.

“You have the right to speak Miss. Granger,” The judge said and Hermione nodded her thanks to him.

“The system is not to blame for this incident. Miss. Bones was Assistant Head of Department for almost 3 years before being appointed Head recently, she should know how to fill out some simple paperwork to regulate the transportation of a creature. Had this paperwork been completed fully, correctly and within the date required, then this would never have happened. There is clearly some human error involved,” Hermione said harshly.

At this Roger then said, “We call our next witness forward,” and Hermione smirked, the defence couldn’t dispute her argument which was a good sign, “The deputy Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Sally-Anne Perks.”

Sally-Anne stepped forward onto the podium looking nervous and was questioned by Roger.

“Is the transportation of a creature for a task like this something that should be handled by somebody in the Sports and Games Department?” Roger asked.

“No,” Sally-Anne replied, “Ideally it should be handled by the person deemed most qualified.”

“And who would that be?”

“In this case it is the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation,” Sally-Anne said.

“Why was this not the case?” Roger asked.

Sally-Anne replied, “The Minister of Magic deemed that one task should be arranged by the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports to promote a more unified approach to the tournament.”

Roger nodded, “That is all.”

“Do you wish to cross-examine?” The judge asked Hermione who nodded and got to her feet.

“To follow up the defence’s line of questioning. Whose decision was it that this task would be handled by Miss. Bones?” Hermione asked harshly.

“It was Miss. Bone’s decision,” Sally-Anne answered.

“And did you examine all of the paperwork submitted by Miss. Bones thoroughly?” Hermione asked Sally-Anne.

“Yes,” Sally-Anne said nervously.

“And was it all completed to the high standards expected when dealing with the transportation of magical creatures?” Hermione asked curtly.

“There were some discrepancies,” Sally-Anne admitted.

“Could you please detail these discrepancies?” Hermione asked.

Sally-Anne replied, “The creature was only quarantined for two weeks instead of the suggested four due to the paperwork being submitted late. The eyes of the creature were not scanned due to this box not being ticked in the paperwork as presenting an issue. Finally the creature was transported in a container smaller than that suggested which could possibly have worsened the situation by enraging it.”

“If these discrepancies were noted, why was the creature passed by your department for the tournament?” Hermione asked.

“According to the paperwork, we were certain we were dealing with a sea serpent, not a Kelpie. There was no indication that it could be anything but a sea serpent,” Sally-Anne said, swallowing a lump in her throat.

“Who sourced this creature?” Hermione asked finally.

“Miss. Bones herself did,” Sally-Anne replied.

Hermione tried not to look too smug as she said, “That will be all your honour.”

Roger stood and said, “We have no further witnesses to call your honour. However, we feel that those we have heard from today prove that Miss. Bones was a woman forced into the unenviable position of dealing with a situation that she was not entirely qualified for. Yet she did the best that she could. Had the system worked as it should, then this would not have happened. Unfortunately it did happen and we can only give our thanks to Headmaster Potter for ensuring that nobody was severely injured. The defence rests their case, your honour.”

The judge nodded, “This request is highly irregular Miss. Granger, but as this is simply an inter-department tribunal, rather than a court case, you may do so.”

Hermione smirked, she had a trump card lined up but she was saving it because she didn’t want to use it unless needed. As it was, she wasn’t sure that they could win the case without it.

“Would Headmaster Draco Malfoy of Durmstrang Institute, please take the stand?”

Draco nodded and walked to the podium.

“Your honour, as it is known that I am currently in a relationship with Headmaster Malfoy, I must recuse myself from his questioning. In my place, my Assistant Head Tracey Davis will do so,” Hermione said.

She sat down and Tracey, who was sitting beside her, stood up.

“Do you disagree with anyone else’s recollection of the events of the morning of the 26th of February?” Tracey asked Draco.

“No,” Draco replied simply.

Tracey asked, “Is there anything you can add to make things clearer?”

“Yes,” Draco replied simply, “Three specific things in fact. The first being that I heard Miss. Bones conversing with Mr. Davies on the morning of the task. I overheard her saying that the sea serpent had been difficult to transport and how glad she was that Mr. Davies had been able to fast track it through for her given that she had been late with the paperwork.”

“Objection!” Roger called.

“Over-ruled!” The judge said, “Continue Mr. Malfoy.”

“Secondly,” Draco continued, “I believe that Miss. Bones has been distracted by her former boyfriend Headmaster Potter as this is the first time they have spent a significant amount of time together since the end of their 3 year relationship. Finally, I am aware that Miss. Bones took the class Care of Magical Creatures at N.E.W.T level and received an ‘Outstanding’ grade for this subject. As a Headmaster, I happen to know that the exam covers the differences between Kelpies and other magical creatures, including sea serpents.”

“Does the defence wish to cross-examine?” The judge asked.

“Yes,” One of the lawyers said, and he got to his feet, “Do you believe that anything, or anyone else could be blamed for this incident?”

“Mr. Davies is as much at fault as Miss. Bones for this incident in my opinion. In a department that involves the transportation of dangerous creatures there should be no ‘fast tracking’ as far as I am concerned,” Draco said with a note of finality.

“That will be all,” The lawyer said quickly, and he sat back down.

Draco smirked at Hermione as he walked back to his seat.

“Having heard all of the evidence I make the assessment that Miss. Bones was indeed at fault and I immediately relieve her from her position as Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I also deem her unfit to judge in the Triwizard Tournament and suspend her immediately with the condition that her successor takes on this role. The evidence will be examined again in one months’ time to judge the involvement of Mr. Roger Davies in this serious incident.”

With this over, Susan left the room and slowly everyone else filed out too. Hermione sighed as she grabbed her files and left the room, she liked Roger Davies and she hadn’t wanted to throw him under the bus, but she couldn’t let Susan get away with this either.

“I’m sorry you had to see that more vindictive side of me,” Draco said when he caught up to her in the corridor outside.

“I’m the one who asked you to do it when you told me about what you heard,” Hermione sighed, “So who is the vindictive one really?”

“She couldn’t have gotten away with it,” Draco said, reiterating Hermione’s own thoughts.

“I know, but throwing a colleague I actually quite liked under the bus like that…it’s not my style.”

Draco put his arm around her, “I hate to say it Hermione, but it’s a skill you need if you want to make it to the top in politics.”

Hermione knew he was right, but she didn’t know how she felt about that. Tracey smirked as she joined them in the corridor, “We won,” she said.

“We won,” Hermione agreed, “Thank you, for snapping me out of it when I need it.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” Tracey asked with a smile.

Hermione smiled back, “You know, you’re pretty noble for a Slytherin..”

“You’re pretty conniving for a Gryffindor,” Tracey commented with a smirk.

“I suppose I can be,” Hermione agreed, “Well done Tracey, you just earned yourself a promotion.”

Tracey’s eyebrows shot up, “Really?” 

“Really,” Hermione said, “Once the tournament is over, I’m being promoted to Undersecretary and I get to pick my successor. I would like you to become the new Head of the department.”

“Head of department? Thank you Hermione!” Tracey said as she hugged her boss.

Hermione chuckled, “You deserve it.”

“And you deserve a rest before the third task,” Tracey said, “Go to Hogwarts to do some ‘planning’, you might do that planning on a ship with a gorgeous blonde man for all anyone knows, but that never came from me.”

She tapped her nose and Draco smirked, “Why thank you Tracey.”

“Fuck you Malfoy, that was for Hermione’s benefit, not yours,” Tracey said sarcastically, “You will always be a cute little ferret to me.”

Draco rolled his eyes, “Oh now you are one person I have not missed in the frozen wastelands of Europe.”

“The feeling is mutual!” Tracey said in a sing-song voice

Hermione laughed, “Thank you. I’ll see you soon, I’ll be popping back and forth to get the final task organised.”

“Have fun!” Tracey called in a sing-song voice as she walked up the corridor.

***

“Real mature move Susan, selling me out to the press,” Harry said as they left the courtroom corridor for the lifts.

Susan rolled her eyes, “How much respect do you have from your students now that they know the truth?”

“More, if anything,” Harry said coolly, “How much did they pay you for that story? Was it worth it? I suppose you would need the pay now though, now that you’re unemployed.”

Susan glared at him, “Real nice thing to say Harry.”

“I think we’re past the point of pretending to be nice to each other Susan,” Harry said darkly, “And did you know, for a Hufflepuff you aren’t that loyal?”

“And for a Gryffindor you are a sneaky, nasty person,” Susan practically spat, “But then I suppose your new girlfriend is to blame for that.”

Harry scoffed, “My new girlfriend is a thousand times better than the crazy bitch I dated before her.”

Susan’s glare intensified.

“I guess the truth hurts, huh?” Harry said, admittedly quite nastily, “At the end of the day Susan, if you had realised that you had made a mistake and fessed it up to straight away. Or even afterwards, if you had just taken it on the chin and apologised, then you probably would have gotten away with a demotion. But because of the way you handled it, you lost everything and you have nobody to blame for that, but yourself. Do you know what that is called? Karma.”

Susan shot him one last glare and stormed into the lift, slamming the doors shut as hard as she could.


	19. An Offer He Can't Refuse

“How did the trial go?” Daphne asked, the minute Harry walked into the empty entrance hall.

“Don’t you have a class to teach?” Harry frowned.

“Yes, but I wanted to find out what happened,” Daphne admitted, “So?”

“We won, Susan got sacked but…I was really horrible to her.”

“Oh, tell me!”

Harry sighed, “Seriously, I was downright nasty and…I don’t know what came over me.”

“Years of holding in your anger at her for what she did?” Daphne suggested, “Sometimes we all need to let it out Harry, even you.”

Harry frowned, “But I’m not a nasty person Daphne. I’m an angry person, but being downright, coldly nasty like that…”

“Harry, you have been dreading this tournament ever since Hermione told you about it. You were dreading anyone getting hurt because it reminds you of what happened to Cedric. You felt that somebody that you had not only known and trusted, but loved, quite deeply, had almost let that happen because of their incompetence, it’s okay that you couldn’t cope with that,” Daphne said gently.

“Look Daphne,” Harry said looking up at her, “We need to talk about Susan, because we haven’t but…she really did a number on me.”

“I know,” Daphne said, “And I get it. You fell in love for her fast and you thought she was the one. You had your entire life planned out, then she brought your world crashing down in the blink of an eye. It made you doubt love, it made you wonder what the point of a relationship was if one person could just destroy your dreams like that.”

“How did you…”

“You aren’t the only person who has had your heart broken,” Daphne said honestly, “I’ve been there. I’ve been the person with a marriage contract, expecting to marry that person one day. Wondering what life would be like with them, and I’ve been the one left in the cold when that person decided that they didn’t want to honour it. I’ve been the one left wondering why I wasn’t good enough, thinking that I wasn’t wanted so trust me, I get it.”

Harry frowned up at her, “But who…who wouldn’t want to marry you Daphne?”

“The blonde dickhead dating your best friend,” Daphne said.

“Draco?” Harry asked in surprise, “You were supposed to marry Draco?”

“That was how my Father had it all planned out,” Daphne said with a roll of her eyes, “His eldest daughter would marry into the wealthiest pureblood family out with his own, and his younger daughter would marry into the Nott family, the biggest producers of firewhiskey, all to aid his status and his shipping company.”

“But didn’t you say you were disowned for not honouring the marriage contract?”

“Yep,” Daphne said, “To this day, I haven’t told my Father that it was because Draco rejected it, he would think of me as a bigger failure than he does already so I let him think that it was me being the rebellious girl he always thought of me as. In reality, Draco decided after two years of courting, that he would rather run off to Europe and find himself before committing himself to any marriage, contracted or otherwise.”

“Well,” Harry said as he got to his feet, “All I can say is that his loss is my gain. I never thought I could be this happy and for the first time in a long time, I actually have some hope that I might get to live out a normal life. So assuming that Ginny’s miracle cure works, do you think your Father would accept you back into the family if you married a Potter? I know I don’t have the same amount of money as a Malfoy, but I have a title, a manor, a place on the Wizengamot, two Orders of Merlin and the prestigious post of Headmaster at the ripe old age of 25. Would that be good enough for Cygnus Greengrass?”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “Are you proposing, Harry?”

“Not right now,” Harry said evasively, “But I am proposing a proposal…”

“Well hypothetically, _if _I was to say yes to your proposal of a proposal,” Daphne said with a smirk, “Then yes, I think that would be good enough for my Father.”

Harry grinned in response.

“Now as much as I have enjoyed your not-proposal, I do actually have a 6th year class that I have rather dangerously left Lacey Nott in charge of so I ought to get back,” Daphne admitted with a slight smile, “Oh and by the way, you don’t actually have to get the fact you have two Orders of Merlin into _every _conversation you know.”

Harry laughed heartily at that as she slipped out of the entrance hall towards the dungeons.

***

“Draco, do you have a moment?”

Draco looked up at Harry as he stepped off the ship, “I was about to go for a walk around the lake. You can join me if you wish?”

Harry fell into step with him, “I think Hogwarts is beautiful at this time of year.”

“I enjoy spring,” Draco agreed, they were now well into April and all traces of winter were finally gone, “But personally, I love autumn.”

“Hogwarts is beautiful in autumn too,” Harry said as he glanced back at the castle, “In fact, Hogwarts is always beautiful to me. To some it might be a big old pile of bricks, but to me it’s home. I look up at that castle and I see Hermione and Ron laughing at a terrible joke. I look over the grounds and I see Hagrid trawling through them with a Christmas tree over his shoulder. Despite what happened here, Hogwarts has and always will be beautiful, peaceful and serene.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at him, “Is there any reason why you are indulging me with your love affair with Hogwarts?”

“Yes,” Harry said honestly, “I want you to stay here.”

Draco stopped in his tracks, “What?” he spluttered, “What the hell do you mean Potter?”

Harry raised an eyebrow at him, “Rather undignified of you Draco.”

Draco narrowed his eyes at him, “Spit it out Potter.”

“Firstly, Hermione does not know about this so do not think that this is some sort of conspiracy to get you to stay for her,” Harry began, “Daphne recently brought it to my attention that, as much as I enjoy it, I cannot teach DADA and be the Headmaster that this school needs me to be. However, believe it or not, I have rather high standards for who I would let take over from me and it would be somewhat of an answer to your dilemma.”

“I am honoured that you would consider me,” Draco said honestly, “But we had this discussion and-”

“You wouldn’t stay unless you were offered the right job,” Harry said with a nod, “Which is why I wanted to offer you more than just the DADA post.”

“I’m listening,” Draco said, if he was a cat, his ears would have perked up.

Harry smiled, “The thing is Draco, Neville hates being Assistant Head. He does nothing but complain about it, but unfortunately he is the only person on my staff at the moment who I trust enough to do it so he is tied into it. He would happily give up the post if someone, say a new DADA teacher who was dating my best friend and therefore who I deemed trustworthy, were to take up the position.”

Draco glanced sideways at Harry again, “You trust me enough to be your Assistant Head?”

“Draco, you have turned Durmstrang into a very successful school and managed to improve its reputation,” Harry said honestly, “I knew that, even though I didn’t realise that it was you who was Headmaster. I have no qualms that you would make a fantastic Assistant Head, and I want to assure you that if you were to take on the role, it would not just be a title. Daphne and I fully intend to have children soon, you would be expected to run the school for months at a time while I took leave. There are also going to be more Triwizard Tournaments and I will not be travelling for them so you would be required to represent the school at such events.”

“Are you proposing what I think you are, Harry?” Draco asked, pausing halfway around the lake to look at Harry properly.

“Crazily as it may seem, I am proposing that we run this school together Draco, yes,” Harry agreed, “And I would pay you a good wage. It would perhaps be a small cut on what you earn now, but there are benefits that you would not get at Durmstrang. Free healthcare for one, and the fact you don’t have to leave your girlfriend behind to return to a place you refer to as a frozen wasteland. Most importantly to me, in a professional way Draco, I can be rather hot-headed and more than anything else, what I need in an Assistant Headmaster is somebody who is not afraid to say no to me. I need somebody who will drag me over the hot coals when they feel that I have done something wrong and I need somebody who will provide me with a different point of view. I love Neville but we are too similar and he wouldn’t say boo to anyone. Hogwarts has run at its best in the past when there has been balance between Headmaster and Assistant Head. For Dumbledore and McGonagall, that was the balance between a male and female of different ages. For Dumbledore and Dippet, it was the balance of Gryffindor and Slytherin. We know that the first Headmaster of the school was Godric Gryffindor and that his second in command was Salazar Slytherin. Hogwarts needs to be represented by all of its houses Draco, never just one and I feel that together we could achieve that.”

“You had me at running this school together, but nice speech Potter,” Draco said with a smile, “I can see why they gave you the job. And you are right, about balance, not just in the case of running a school. Every relationship, professional or otherwise needs balance. That is why Slytherins and Gryffindors work so well together, you and I are both proof of that.”

Harry nodded his agreement.

“And with regards to Slytherin and Gryffindor partnerships,” Draco added, “Although he was never Assistant Head, Snape and Dumbledore worked together in their own way. Nobody ever thinks about the person standing in the leaders shadow, but that person often has more power than the leader themselves. I would be honoured to take on the job, but I do have some conditions.”

“Of course you do,” Harry said smoothly, “As long as they don’t have peacocks, we can negotiate those.”

“Fuck off Harry.”

Harry smirked, “Conditions?”

“I want large quarters, _not _in the dungeons,” Draco said, “I have gotten rather accustomed to daylight.”

“You can have the largest quarters in the castle, on the first floor,” Harry said.

Draco shook his head, “No, too close to the hustle and bustle of the great hall. I want a tower Potter.”

“You want a tower?” Harry asked in disbelief.

“Yes, is that really too much to ask? There are two unused towers that I know of. I want one of them.”

“A whole tower? You don’t ask for much, do you Malfoy?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It is not that difficult a request,” Draco pointed out while they walked, “Just pick a tower, make it structurally safe and I will do the rest because I do not want it adorned with Gryffindor red and gold, and because Hermione will want a library.”

“Alright,” Harry conceded, “You shall have your tower Rapunzel.”

“What?”

“Ask Hermione,” Harry said with an amused smile, “Dare I ask, are there anymore conditions?”

“Two more,” Draco replied said matter of factly.

“Oh Merlin,” Harry muttered, “Go ahead…why did I ever think that this was going to be easy?”

Draco smirked and continued, “I want to run the duelling club.”

Harry shook his head, “No, I’m sorry. I can’t do that because I need to keep something for myself or I am going to get driven crazy by the politics of _my _job. However, I do have an alternative proposal for you.”

“Go on…”

“We have a potential conflict of interest at the school,” Harry said, “I fully intend to ask Daphne to marry me before the end of the year. However, having the Head of Slytherin married to the Headmaster is a little unfair for the other houses and Daphne would like to focus more on her research so that when we do decide to have children, she has enough material to write her book.”

Draco’s eyes lit up as he realised where Harry was going with this. “Yes!” he said enthusiastically.

Harry looked up in surprise, “What do you mean?”

“I can see where you are going with this, yes, I will be Head of Slytherin,” Draco said eagerly.

Harry raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think I have ever seen you so excited, it’s a little disturbing.”

“Look, I know that Snape was an arsehole to you but he was my Godfather and probably the best Father figure I had in a lot of ways,” Draco explained, “And I had a lot of respect for him so Head of Slytherin is in a way, a bit of a dream job for me. I would like to write my wrongs through the teaching of a new generation of Slytherins. We do not need any more Draco Malfoys in the world.”

“Agreed,” Harry said, “Now, you said that you were a third condition.”

“Yes, and I do think it is the easiest of the three,” Draco said, “I need you to promise me than when Hermione tires of politics, there will always be a job waiting for her here. I know that it is her dream, but she has other things that she needs to achieve first.”

“You don’t even have to ask,” Harry said with a smile, “There will always be a place for her at Hogwarts, for as long as I am Headmaster and as Severus Snape once said, you do not retire from this job Potter.”

“In that case, you have yourself a new Assistant Headmaster,” Draco said, he held his hand out to Harry.

Harry looked at his outstretched hand and smiled, “Now that is ironic.”

“I guess this thing has come full circle after all,” Draco agreed as Harry took his hand and shook it.

“It seems so,” Harry chuckled as they finished their walk, “Come to my office tomorrow evening to sign all of the paperwork and make it official?”

“Of course,” Draco said.

“Perfect,” Harry said, “Now, I think you ought to go and make your girlfriend very happy.”

Draco just smiled as he walked back to his ship.

***

“Harry!”

Harry smiled when Hermione came bounding into his office that evening, “Harry, you are the best friend ever, I love you!”

Harry chuckled, “Draco told you the news then?”

“Yes,” Hermione beamed, “He’s staying, all because you gave him an offer that he couldn’t refuse. Did you do that for me?”

“Not entirely,” Harry said, looking up at her, “As much as I love you Hermione, it was as much for the benefit of the school and myself. He really is the best person for the job, in fact he is overqualified. That was why he got such a good deal, asking someone to step down from a Headmaster post is a bold thing to do, I wasn’t sure that he would go for it and I need him so I think I really need to thank you. It was obvious that you were the deciding factor, the step down, in terms of position and pay, or you and he chose you.”

“That and he misses home,” Hermione smiled, “As much as I would love to think that it was all about me, it was more than that. He doesn’t like living at Durmstrang, he finds it lonely and I think being back here this year he has realised quite how many friends he does, and could have, here.”

“That and he’s head over heels for you,” Harry pointed out.

“He hasn’t actually categorically said that yet,” Hermione admitted.

“Not to you maybe,” Harry said, shooting her a boyish grin.

“He told you he loved me?” Hermione asked in surprise.

“That is for me to know, and you to find out,” Harry said, he was feeling more and more like Dumbledore as time passed.

Hermione smiled at him, “What a difference a year can make, huh?”

“Definitely,” Harry agreed, “Now, speaking of changes to staff. I still need to convince Lilly to stay on a permanent basis but luckily I have a few trump cards up my sleeve to achieve that one. So, really I just need a Transfiguration teacher. I don’t suppose I can convince you to join the team since I imagine you will be living here in Draco’s tower anyway?”

Hermione smiled sympathetically at him, “As much as I would love the job one day, that day is not today. Undersecretary to the Minister is huge Harry, within 5 years I could be Minister for Magic. I think I need to do that for myself, then I can come back home.”

Harry smiled warmly at her, “Draco knew that you would say that, but I figured there was no harm in asking.”

“I guess he knows me pretty well,” Hermione mused, then a frown formed on her face, “Hang on…what did you just say about Draco’s tower?”

“Oh he didn’t tell you about his conditions?” Harry snorted.

“He told me you offered the job of DADA and Assistant Headmaster,” Hermione said, “Along with the added bonus of Head of Slytherin which he is way more excited about by the way.”

“I noticed that,” Harry chuckled.

“Draco is becoming the Assistant Headmaster?” Severus Snape drawled from the wall.

“Yes Severus, he is,” Harry replied.

“Hmm,” Severus mused, “One of your better decisions in your tenure as Headmaster, Potter.”

“For different reasons, I would have to agree Harry,” Dumbledore said wisely, “Slytherins and Gryffindors do work very well together.”

Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry and Hermione, “So it would seem.”

“Oh do not even try and insult Draco for dating me, Snape,” Hermione said, raising an eyebrow at the portrait, “We all know how much you fancied Harry’s _Muggle-born _Mother.”

“She’s right Severus, don’t be a hypocrite,” Harry said.

Severus just hmphed grumpily and turned his back on the room.

“So as I was saying,” Harry said, turning back to Hermione, “He had three conditions. I couldn’t give him one, he wanted the duelling club but I need that for myself so I offered him Head of Slytherin instead.”

“What does Daphne think of that?” Hermione asked curiously.

“She understands that she can’t keep the job if she wants to be with me,” Harry said honestly, “It’s a pretty big conflict of interest.”

“True,” Hermione said logically.

“His other condition was that I always keep a job open for you, for when you tire of politics,” Harry said.

Hermione’s eyes widened, “That was one of his conditions?”

“Uh-huh,” Harry said, his eyes sparkled, “I think you underestimate how much he loves you, you know.”

“Maybe I do,” Hermione said softly.

“Either way, that condition was easily granted because I would always have done so anyway,” Harry said with a smile, “But his last condition is going to be the hardest. He is not content with the largest quarters on the first floor, he wants a tower, away from the hustle and bustle of the main castle where he can build you a library.”

Hermione bit her lip to stop herself from grinning, “He wants a tower? Of course he does, he’s Draco Malfoy. He grew up in a manor, with peacocks.”

Harry snorted, “So I’ll go for a little scout tonight once the students are in bed to decide which tower would suit him best.”

“I’m guessing the DADA tower isn’t going to be big enough for him?” Hermione asked with an amused smile.

“Definitely not,” Harry said with a shake of his head, “The office is cool but that tower gets narrow the further up you go, the room is basically an attic. I have plenty of options, most of the towers in this school are disused after all. There is the Turris Magnus tower, the entrance to which is on the fourth floor and the Turris Medius tower, the entrance to which is on the sixth floor. Then there is the East tower, the entrance to which is on the seventh floor, but I suspect he won’t want that one because we would be able to see onto each other’s balconies, and it only has two floors like this tower, I imagine that won’t be big enough for him.”

Hermione chuckled, “Probably not. What state are the other two in?”

“Turris Magnus is the biggest, but it was also damaged during the war,” Harry explained, “It has four floors, the first two are made up of abandoned classrooms, the third floor is smaller, I think it was initially used as an office and then the fourth floor was a bedroom, but it’s an attic room like in the DADA tower,” Harry said, “I could repair it, but it’s his tower so I would be making him help.”

“And the other one?”

“Turris Medius, like the name suggests it’s smaller. The bottom floor consists of classrooms so it could be turned into a living space, and the second floor and third floor were always an office and a bedroom,” Harry explained, “I think there might be a little water damage, but nothing like the damage to the Turris Magnus tower.”

“Give him Turris Medius then,” Hermione said, “He still gets a 3-storey tower so he can’t complain, can he? It’s on the East side of the castle so he would get a lake view.”

“I think a 3-storey tower is more than enough. Plus, I have my own plans for the Turris Magnus Tower…” Harry chuckled, “He is a hard man to bargain with you know.”

“Of course he is, he’s a Slytherin and a very intelligent one at that,” Hermione said slyly, “But speaking of Slytherins and bargaining…I think I have a perfect candidate in mind for the Transfiguration job that you are desperate to fill…”

***

Harry was looking over floor plans of the Turris Medius tower the following evening while he waited for Draco to come in and sign the paperwork. Draco wasn’t stupid, he knew it wasn’t the largest tower so Harry was making sure that he had a good enough argument to convince Draco to take that one.

The floo roared to life and Harry looked over with a frown, he wasn’t expecting anyone.

“Harry, you missed your appointment on the 1st of April,” An angry voice said.

Harry grimaced and granted Ginny entry to the tower. She stepped in and dusted herself off, “What’s the point of going on a clinical trial if you don’t show up to your appointments so we can check if it’s working?”

“Sorry,” Harry apologised, “I put it off because I hate hospitals then the more I put it off, the more I started to think that it was going to be pointless anyway. I figured I would just find out that it wasn’t working and end up depressed so I avoided the hospital, I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Ginny said, “But get up to your bedroom and take your shirt off so I can examine you. This is my clinical trial, my research and my neck on the line so I need to know if the potion I helped engineer is actually working.”

Ginny could be scary when she was angry, so Harry obliged, much to the amusement of the portraits on the wall.

He felt sick as he lay on his bed, while Ginny examined his back. She was silent, which made him worry all the more. He shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

“Alright, shirt back on and let’s talk,” Ginny said calmly.

Harry buttoned up his shirt and sat on the edge of the bed, “So, how bad is it?”

“Bad,” Ginny said with a sigh, “So bad that I reckon you might be the first patient to be cured from my miraculous potion.”

It took Harry’s brain a minute to catch up, then he looked up at her in surprise, “What?”

“The shard of metal has halved in size over the course of a month and a half,” Ginny smiled, “I think, well I hope, that when I examine you next month, it will be completely gone.”

Harry stared at her, “Really?”

“Really,” Ginny said, she popped her wand back in its holster, “Now I need to get going because I actually came here after shift to yell at you, but Mum has Jacob so I need to get home.”

“Sorry Ginny,” Harry said guiltily, “I really do appreciate you doing that.”

“You’re my friend as well as my patient Harry,” Ginny said, she stopped at the top of the staircase, “Remember that, okay?”

“Okay,” Harry agreed, then she dashed down the stairs and was gone with the whir of the floo.

Harry grinned, he couldn’t wait to tell Daphne the news, but she was teaching remedial potions to students like Harry tonight, so it would have to wait until after Harry and Draco had finalised their deal. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he walked down the stairs and sat down in his office. For the first time in a long time, he could look to the future with hope rather than fear. He found himself envisioning Daphne in that future of his and he knew he would need to make a trip to Diagon Alley very soon so that when the right moment came along, he would be able to propose to her properly. He thought about the old ring he had intended to give to Susan, the one that still lived under a floorboard in the DADA office and he decided that later that night, he was going to throw it into the lake.

Out with the old and in with the new after all.

***

“Draco.”

“Harry,” Draco said politely.

“Take a seat,” Harry said, just as politely.

“Ah Draco,” Severus’s portrait said, “I was just commending Potter on his best decision as Headmaster yet.”

“That isn’t saying much coming from you Severus,” Harry said with a roll of his eyes, “Considering that you think every decision that I make is rubbish.”

“The boy makes a point, Severus,” Dumbledore reasoned.

“Do you see what I have to put up with?” Harry asked Draco under his breath. He slid a pile of parchment over, “I need you to sign your contract of employment.”

“I will, once you confirm that you will meet my conditions, in writing,” Draco said, leaning back against his chair.

“You shall have your tower Draco,” Harry said, sliding a thin piece of parchment across the table.

“The Turris Medius Tower is by no means the largest tower in the school,” Draco pointed out.

“Yes, but the largest tower in the school was damaged during the Battle of Hogwarts and as the top floors are unused, it has not yet been repaired fully,” Harry explained, “Besides, the Turris Medius Tower is a better fit for you. The whole tower would be yours, but with the Turris Magnus Tower, the first floor belongs to the Transfiguration teachers office and quarters so it isn’t as private.”

Draco watched Harry carefully as he continued, “Turris Medius is in a good state of repair. The first floor houses two large classrooms and several store cupboards so you could easily have a living space and a study down there. The second floor was used as an office for a long time so it’s a good size, it would be perfect for a library. The third floor is where the bedroom is housed, granted it isn’t the biggest but it would be big enough. The whole place is very open and airy, and it has a lake view.”

Draco thought about this for a moment then signed the little slip of parchment, “You sold me at lake view. Now, let me see this contract.”

Draco studied the contract and read it in great detail, Harry had expected nothing less from the Slytherin. Once he was done, he signed on all of the required dotted lines and pushed it back in Harry’s direction.

Harry smiled and held out his hand, “Welcome to the team Draco.”

Draco smiled too when he shook Harry’s hand.

“As you saw on the contract, your official start date is the 18th of August. We always reconvene a couple of weeks before the students get back so that we have plenty of time for staff meetings and to organise lesson plans and the like.”

Draco nodded, “No problem and, thank you Harry.”

Harry’s smile was genuine when he said, “You are very welcome, Draco.”


	20. The Dawning of a New Era

“Hey, where are you going?”

“To my office,” Harry said, raising an eyebrow at Daphne, “Why?”

“I wondered if you fancied heading out for a bit, to celebrate the fact your injury is healing,” Daphne admitted, they had caught each other in the corridor after the last class of the day.

“I would love to,” Harry said honestly, “But first I have a meeting with your best friend, who I literally am going to have to beg to stay.”

Daphne laughed, “Just use Neville, she won’t be able to say no.”

“I’m banking on that,” Harry grinned, “But I’ll see you later. 7pm at the Leaky?”

“Sounds good,” Daphne said, and Harry dashed up the stairs in a hurry. He was already running late for his meeting with Lilly. As it was, she was waiting outside his office when he got there.

“Sorry I’m late Lilly, classes ran over this afternoon,” Harry explained.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lilly said, following Harry up the stairs into his office.

“Take a seat,” Harry said with a smile as he sat down behind his desk, “Can I get you a coffee?”

“No thank you Harry,” Lilly said, she surveyed the Headmaster, “Now let’s not pussyfoot around the subject, I know why you asked to meet with me this evening. You want me to sign a contract.”

“I do,” Harry admitted, “You are by far the best Ancient Runes teacher we’ve had for a long time Lilly. The staff will go nuts if I can’t keep you here, one of them in particular.”

Lilly rolled her eyes, “Don’t you start on that too, Daphne nags me often enough.”

“Because we can all see what you can’t,” Harry smirked, “Now, I understand you are a trained Curse Breaker so give me your conditions, and whatever they are, I will do my best to meet them and keep you here.”

Lilly raised an eyebrow at him, “My conditions? Okay, so I do have some conditions. The first one being that if I stay, you need to relieve Neville as Assistant Head. He hates it Harry, you know he does.”

“I know,” Harry said, being rather sneaky because in actual fact, he had already done so but Neville didn’t know about this yet, “But at the moment I don’t have any better options. If that is what it would take though, I am sure I could find a new Assistant Head.”

“Good,” Lilly said, “Because he has so much potential but he needs the freedom to travel in the summers and not have to worry about the school, otherwise he will end up trapped here his whole life.”

“I understand,” Harry promised, sliding a contract towards her.

“That was only my first condition,” Lilly said.

Harry bit back the urge to roll his eyes. It was like negotiating a deal, rather than hiring a member of staff, at this place, “Go on.”

“Can I stay on the grounds?” Lilly asked, “Because I hate being stuck in the castle.”

Harry really did roll his eyes that time, “Seriously, what is wrong with the teachers accommodation in this place? My new DADA teacher wants his own bloody tower and now you don’t even want to stay in the castle?”

Lilly shrugged, “Well the quarters are quite cold and draughty,” she said.

“Duly noted, I’ll pass that on to the house elves,” Harry said sarcastically.

“So can I have a cottage in the grounds?” Lilly asked.

“No, I cannot build you a cottage in the grounds,” Harry said, “But I am desperate for you to stay so how about I offer you something else, the Herbology tower.”

Lilly frowned, “What about it?”

“Well, it would suit you rather well, especially since I’m sure Neville would end up living there too,” Harry said, giving her a pointed look, “It is by no means the biggest, but because of that it’s warm. There is a small living space on the first floor then a bedroom on the second floor, but all of the windows overlook the grounds and the greenhouses. To top it off, you can enter the quarters on the sixth floor, but there is also a spiral staircase that will take you from the living quarters down to the grounds, right by greenhouse 3.”

“So why doesn’t Neville live there now?”

“Because I only finished restoring it a few months ago,” Harry said honestly, “It was one of the areas badly damaged in the Battle of Hogwarts. When I did restore it, I put the staircase in and since it is called the Herbology tower, I figured why the hell not plant a tree growing through the middle of the spiral staircase?”

Lilly raised an eyebrow at him, “So you are telling me that I can live there, because you are so sure that Neville and I will be sharing quarters by the start of next term?”

“Exactly,” Harry said.

“Fine,” Lilly said grudgingly as she grabbed his contract and signed it, “To be honest, I was going to stay anyway. The wage isn’t as good as what I earned as a Curse Breaker but it’s nice to have consistent work. You know before, I would do one big job and get one big paycheck but then it might be 6 months before something else came my way so this suits me.”

“I’m glad,” Harry said, smiling at the signed contract, “Welcome to the team on a permanent basis Lilly.”

Lilly smiled back and shook his hand.

***

“You know Neville, you really need to make a move…”

Neville frowned over at Hermione, “What?”

“Lilly,” Hermione said slowly, “You know cute, nerdy Lillian Moon who went off and become hot Curse Breaker Lilly?”

Neville snorted, “What about her?”

“Oh come on, by now you’ve found out that she’s signed her contract so she’s staying,” Hermione said, “Which means you don’t have any excuses for not asking her out now. It’s pretty simple, you like her, she likes you, everyone can see it so make a move.”

Neville scoffed, “I like her, that much is true but have you _seen _her, Hermione? She doesn’t like me, she’s just my friend.”

“Do friends just hang around in your office all the time, bringing you lunch and coffee?” Hermione asked.

“You hang around in Harry’s office all the time. You bring Harry lunch and coffee,” Neville pointed out.

Hermione frowned, “Oh…I do, don’t I?”

“See? That proves my point, there is no way that she likes me as anything more than a friend, nobody ever does,” Neville said.

“Don’t be like that Neville,” Hermione sighed, “It’s not entirely true.”

“It really is,” Neville muttered, “You and I, one night stand then oh sorry Neville but you’re just such a good friend. Hannah? Oh sorry Neville but it’s just not working out because I feel like we would work better as friends. Daphne? Oh sorry Neville, but I actually want to be with your best friend.”

“But that doesn’t mean that Lilly feels the same,” Hermione pointed out, “You never know unless you say something to her. Be that Gryffindor guy who beheaded the snake and tell her how you feel or just mope around, not knowing.”

Neville shrugged and pushed open the door of his office, “I guess I’ll just never know then,” he said, leaving Hermione alone in the room.

***

“So I hear you’re staying for good?”

“Well, for two years at least, that’s what my brand spanking new contract says,” Lilly said, glancing up at Neville as he stood in the doorway to her classroom, “Did Harry tell you?”

“No Hermione did, but she knows everything that goes on in this school because Harry can’t _not _tell her,” Neville chuckled, “He just doesn’t tell me anything and I’m his Assistant bloody Head.”

He walked into the room and looked around. Lilly had been in the greenhouse a lot, but he had never been in her domain.

“It’s rare, seeing you all the way up here,” Lilly teased, “I didn’t think you knew how to get up the stairs.”

“Very funny,” Neville chuckled, “I just figured maybe I should come and see you sometimes. Your classroom is pretty cool.”

Lilly shrugged, “Figured I ought to spice it up a little. When I came in to start the job it was just a dull old classroom so I jazzed it up.”

Neville glanced around, he thought it was a damn sight more than just jazzing it up a little. Every single wall was covered in runes, it felt like they were in an ancient temple.

“You think this is cool? You should see my office, that’s where all of the artefacts I stole while curse breaking are kept,” Lilly grinned.

“Oh now that is an offer I can’t refuse,” Neville said,

Lilly laughed and led him through a door at the back of the classroom into her office. She wasn’t kidding, it was jam-packed with artefacts.

“This is amazing Lilly, I’m so jealous…”

“You don’t need to be,” Lilly said, “Because when Harry begged me to stay, I agreed but with terms.”

“You negotiated terms with Harry?” Neville asked in amusement.

“Uh-huh, one of which was you being relieved of your position as Assistant Head to free your summers up,” Lilly smirked, “So when I go gallivanting this summer, feel free to join me.”

Neville’s eyes widened, “You did that…for me?”

“Don’t act like it’s such a big deal Neville,” Lilly shrugged, “It’s obvious I still like you, isn’t it?”

“What?” Neville asked cluelessly.

“Well, I had that massive crush on you at school when you were helping Harry lead the DA and then leading an army and beheading snakes, you know?” Lilly rattled off, “And I figured it was just a crush, only when I came back here…it didn’t go away.”

Neville stared at her silently.

“Neville?”

“Um…Sorry,” Neville frowned, “But I just can’t quite get my head around you…liking _me_.”

Lilly raised an eyebrow at him, “Why wouldn’t I? You are just the nicest guy I’ve ever met, but with a badass snake-killing side persona which could be fun…I can totally see us honing the minds of children all year long just to spend our summers looking for long-lost cursed artefacts and rare magical plants in caves and tombs across the world, can’t you?”

Neville smiled broadly at her, “God, yes.”

Lilly grinned, “So why are we wasting time pretending we don’t want that?”

“I have no idea,” Neville admitted.

Lilly smirked, “Come on, I need to show you something.”

Before Neville knew what was happening, she grabbed his hand and dragged him through the empty school. It was dinner, so all of the students and the rest of the staff were in the great hall. Neville just rolled with the spontaneity of it all as she dragged him all the way to the sixth floor from her office on the second floor.

“In my negotiations with Harry, I also scored us this,” Lilly grinned, pushing open a door and leading Neville inside.

Neville’s jaw dropped when he looked around the room. In essence, it was a living room although it wasn’t furnished yet. It had large windows that let in lots of light and looked right down onto his greenhouses. There were two fireplaces, one at each side of the room to keep it warm and the reason for that was to keep the surreal amount of plants in the room alive. Plants hung down from the ceiling, potted plants littered the edges of the room to that extent that you could barely see the walls.

“What is this?” Neville asked in disbelief.

“The Herbology Tower,” Lilly replied, “Look upstairs.”

Neville hadn’t even noticed a circular wooden door on the other side of the room until Lilly pried it open. She led him up the staircase into a smaller room that was clearly designed to be a bedroom. The walls were stone, the roof had wooden beams with plants suspended from them and there was a large circular window with the most amazing views.

“Lilly…this place is…”

“Beautiful,” Lilly agreed, “It’s like the outside, inside. Don’t you think?”

Neville could only nod.

“One of the terms I gave Harry when he was trying to keep me here was that I didn’t like the castle so I wanted to be able to stay on the grounds. He said he couldn’t do that but he offered me this instead,” Lilly explained, “Then he added that it would suit you too, because he was certain we would be sharing quarters by the end of the summer.”

Neville laughed, “Sneaky of him…that must be Daphne’s influence.”

“Although I suppose he has a point,” Lilly said, “If we spend the whole summer together, gallivanting all over the world, I don’t think we will want to be apart when we get back.”

Neville smiled over at her, “I don’t think we will,” he agreed. He was just thinking about leaning over to kiss her when she grabbed his hand again, “I haven’t even shown you the best bit yet, look!”

Neville laughed as she dragged him back into the living area then pried open a wooden trapdoor on the floor. They jumped down onto a landing at the top of a stairwell and Neville gaped. Before them was a circular staircase, adorned with tiny windows to make it bright and airy like the rest of the tower. But the spectacular thing was the tree that grew through the staircase.

“Who put the tree there?” Neville mused.

“Harry did,” Lilly replied.

“I mean it’s a great idea and all, but isn’t it going to damage the structural integrity of the tower?” Neville asked.

“He said something about Daphne dosing it with the draught of the living death or something like that,” Lilly shrugged, “Either way, it isn’t going to grow any more than it already has.”

“Oh I’ve heard about that!” Neville said excitedly, “They use it at flower shows so that everything looks just the way it should, all perfectly preserved. I have to ask Daphne how she did that so I can experiment on some of my own-”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lilly pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed him. Needless to say, he had no objections.

When she pulled away she said, “So how do you like your new tower? Harry went all out redecorating it.”

“It’s amazing, but don’t you mean _your _new tower?” Neville asked in amusement.

Lilly grinned mischievously, “I’m fairly sure he was doing it for you, but I guess he needed me more so…”

Neville laughed again, “Clearly I’m dispensable but I’m so glad he’s dropping me as Assistant Head. Who is going to take on the job instead though?”

“Oh he’s got somebody lined up for it,” Lilly said offhandedly as they began to make their way down the staircase, “The new DADA teacher.”

“Harry’s giving up DADA?” Neville asked in surprise, “He really doesn’t tell me anything…”

“Uh-huh, something about focusing more on being the Headmaster the school needs him to be,” Lilly said, “I think he said he was going to announce it to the staff at the end of the week.”

“He doesn’t need to announce it, it’s obvious,” Neville smirked, “Who teaches DADA and is dreading going back to the frozen wasteland, leaving his new girlfriend here?”

“Ah,” Lilly realised, “And of course he would want Assistant Head, that way he wouldn’t be taking such a huge step down.”

“Exactly,” Neville said.

“Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter working side by side…who would have thought it?” Lilly joked, and their laughter echoed around the staircase.

***

“Good evening Harry,” Neville said when he let himself into the Headmasters office, “When where you planning on telling me that you were demoting me?”

“Umm…” Harry floundered.

“Let’s be honest,” Neville said, “In all your Slytherin political machinations you forgot, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Harry said sheepishly, “I’m sorry Neville.”

“It’s good to know that you haven’t changed,” Neville said with a smile, “With all the Slytherin influences this year, it would be easily done after all.”

“I was going to announce it at the end of the week that we have a new DADA teacher but since you are here-”

“It’s Malfoy, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Harry said quickly, “And he is also the one taking over the Assistant Head role, and Head of Slytherin. Oh and he wants his own fucking tower too, did I mention that?”

“As long as I don’t have to look after any peacocks, I think I can handle Malfoy getting my job,” Neville joked, “Thank you for _my_ tower by the way. You know my tower that you gave to Lilly?”

“The fact you know that implies she has taken you there,” Harry smirked.

“Maybe,” Neville grinned.

“Oh so she really has _taken _you there,” Harry joked.

“Shut up Harry,” Neville said, sitting down across from him, “In theory though, if Lilly and I were together-”

“It’s fine,” Harry said honestly, “You are Head of Gryffindor, but she isn’t Head of Ravenclaw so no conflicts of interest. Don’t worry about it, and I’m very happy for you by the way.”

“Even though you set it all up to happen that way?” Neville said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Are you complaining?” Harry asked with an amused smile.

“No, but you’ll make a good crazy, scheming Headmaster yet,” Neville teased.

Harry snorted, “Thanks for that Nev and, to be honest, there is something I need to talk to you about. Lilly wanted you to step down from being Assistant Head and I know you hate it anyway, but the truth is that I wanted you to step down too. You are great at the job, but let’s be honest, Ron is useless and Hermione is normally so caught up in work that we only see her every few weeks so these last few years, it’s really just been you and me. I want you back as my best friend, and when you’re my Assistant Head you can’t be that. You don’t feel like you’re able to call me a prick or fire a hex at me when I _am _being a prick, and I kind of need a friend like that if I’m honest.”

“I understand Harry, and I think you’re right. I think it’s just the way that my Gran brought me up but I can’t help but have respect for authority figures even when they aren’t deserving of it, like you at the start of the year,” Neville said.

“See, there’s the Nev I know back!” Harry said cheerfully, “I was an idiot at the start of the year, but nobody had the balls to tell me that apart from Hermione, ironically enough since she is in fact a woman.”

“Even though it took you and Ron far too long to notice that,” Neville snorted.

“Hey, I noticed! It was Ron who didn’t, but everyone always tars me with the same brush. I may be clueless Nev, but I am a clueless romantic. Speaking of which, I’m going to propose to Daphne,” Harry told his friend.

“What?”

“Yeah, I know we’ve only actually been dating for this school year, but we’ve known each for a lot longer and we’ve kind of been in a relationship for longer,” Harry said.

“If you try and say that you were in a relationship when you were sleeping with her, along with multiple other people, that really does not count,” Neville pointed out.

“It kinda does.”

“It really doesn’t,” Neville argued, “But, I do agree with you about proposing. She’s far too good for you so you better tie her down before she finds somebody better.”

“Like you, you mean?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“No, I’m perfectly happy with my tattoo-ed, sci-fi loving, curse breaking girlfriend,” Neville smirked.

“Of course you are, she’s perfect for you,” Harry said, “I can just see you two gallivanting around the world, getting excited about rare Mimbulus mimbletonia and corpses with multiple heads. While Daphne and I enjoy the finer things in life.”

“Ah,” Neville sighed, “When did Harry Potter become so boring?”

“Nev,” Harry said matter of factly, “I’ve had enough excitement to last me a lifetime. Now I want nothing more than to settle down with my hopefully soon to be wife and have the family I’ve always wished for.”

“And I don’t think anyone can grudge you for that Harry,” Neville said honestly as he smiled at his best friend.

***

As April marched on, Harry got more and more worried about his lack of a Transfiguration Professor, so he decided to interview the person that Hermione had recommended for the job. That was how he found himself sitting in the Hogs Head one Wednesday evening, awaiting the man himself.

The door opened and Theo stepped in, “Harry,” he said cheerfully, “How can I help you this fine evening?”

“I’ll get onto that in a moment,” Harry said, sliding a firewhiskey across the table.

“Ominous,” Theo said, raising an eyebrow at him, “Who do you need me to kill?”

Harry laughed, “Nobody, but I was wondering how happy you were in your job these days?”

Theo shrugged, “I’m a lawyer, I mean does anyone really enjoy being a lawyer?”

“Would you prefer to teach?” Harry asked the Slytherin.

“Wait…back-up a minute,” Theo said.

“McGonagall said after stepping down as Headmistress that she would stay on for one year so that during my first year as Headmaster I wouldn’t need to find too many new members of staff. Ironically enough that hasn’t worked out because I’ve decided to step down as DADA professor so I’ve had to fill that position then I had to sack the Ancient Runes professor so I had to fill that one too. But ironically enough, the one position I haven’t been able to fill is the one I knew I needed to at the start of the year.”

“Sounds like you,” Theo snorted.

“And the thing is, Hermione recommended you for the job,” Harry continued, “She said you were almost as good, if not better, at Transfiguration than her.”

“The Gryffindor princess herself said that, did she?” Theo asked in surprise, “Well, I am honoured.”

“She’s right though,” Harry said, “I pulled up your N.E.W.T exam results. There was 0.1% in it between the two of you.”

“Yep, it was my best subject at school,” Theo said.

“So how would you feel about teaching? It’s a 9-5 job, you get the weekends off with the kids, no more late nights,” Harry said.

“I will consider the offer, but I can’t live in the castle,” Theo said.

“Honestly, what is it with people not liking my castle?” Harry asked irritably, “Draco wanted his own bloody tower and I had to bring the fucking outside inside for Neville and Lilly. Since when did hiring members of staff at this place become more difficult than negotiating a peace treaty?”

“Draco?” Theo asked with a raised eyebrow.

“He’s replacing me as DADA professor, and he’s taking over the Assistant Head role,” Harry explained.

“If I say yes, can I be Head of Slytherin?”

“No, he already is,” Harry replied.

“Duelling club?”

“Mine,” Harry replied simply.

Theo rolled his eyes, “You can take your job and shove it up your arse then.”

“That’s fine, but I could always go to the prophet and tell them all about what you did for a job before you became a lawyer I suppose,” Harry said, surveying Theo.

“That is bloody sneaky.”

“I’m dating a Slytherin.”

“Do you know what? I was probably going to say yes anyway, but I respect the fact you just tried to blackmail me so it’s a definite yes,” Theo said.

Harry smirked, “I knew you would see it from my point of view. Talk to your wife about it and come by sometime before the end of May to sign the paperwork alright?”

“Deal,” Theo said, shaking Harry’s hand, “Got time for a few more drinks before you need to get back to the castle?”

“Definitely,” Harry said.

***

April became May and Harry had to give his first speech as Headmaster on Wizarding Memorial Day. He hated the anniversary of the end of the war, but the blow was softened this year by Daphne. She would have stood by his side during his speech if it wasn’t for the fact that the students weren’t supposed to know that they were together.

With the middle of May came Harry’s next appointment with Ginny. Thankfully, she had agreed to come out to his office again so that he didn’t have to come out to the hospital.

The floo whirred to life and Ginny let herself into the office, “Hey Harry,” she said cheerfully, “Hey Daphne.”

Daphne smiled over at her, “Hi Ginny, thanks for coming to us. You know how Harry gets with hospitals.”

“Merlin forbid when you two have children and he has no choice but to stay in a hospital,” Ginny said, shooting Harry a sideways look.

“Just what I need,” Harry joked, “You two ganging up on me.”

Ginny just chuckled, “Upstairs and shirt off, I want to see if your healed.”

“See the way my ex-girlfriends talk to me in front of you Daphne, it’s appalling,” Harry said with a shake of his head.

“In this case your ex-girlfriend is also curing you so I think she can say whatever she wants,” Daphne pointed out as she followed them up the staircase.

“Fair point,” Harry said, unbuttoning his shirt and lying down on the bed.

Ginny got her wand out and began her diagnostic charms. There was a long silence, a long tense silence then Ginny popped her wand away and told Harry to put his shirt back on.

Harry did so, then he sat on the edge of the bed again, this time with Daphne by his side.

“So?” He asked nervously.

“So,” Ginny said, smiling at him, “There is some nerve and soft tissue damage, meaning you will still have recurrent back pain for the rest of your life but that shard of metal is completely gone. Your observations all came back okay so there are no adverse side effects either, you’re cured Harry.”

Daphne hugged him and happy tears shone in her eyes, “That’s great news! Thank you Ginny,” she said, hugging the redhead in a rare show of emotion.

Harry remained perched on the edge of the bed in shock. When he did speak, tears also shone in his eyes, “Thank you Ginny…I can’t thank you enough…thank you.”

“My pleasure Harry,” Ginny said honestly, “I’m glad I can give you your life back, both of you that is. I know this is big for you, so I’m going to leave you guys alone to talk about it but I’ll see you soon I hope.”

Harry just nodded blankly. Ginny walked down the stairs and with a whirr of the floo, she was gone.

“You’re cured Harry,” Daphne said softly, “No more worrying about the future, just looking forward with hope.”

Harry didn’t say anything to begin with then he sighed in relief, “I had forgotten what it was like to live without a dark cloud over my head. I had a brief spell between the war and my injury but then it was back again. I feel lighter, Daph.”

Daphne smiled and drew him into a hug, “It’s a new start, for both of us,” she said.

“A new start,” Harry agreed, letting out a content sigh, “And in the spirit of that…I’m going to talk to the press.”

Daphne frowned, “What?”

“I need to address the press, I haven’t since Susan sold that article to them so I think now is the time to set the record straight,” Harry said matter of factly.

“If that will give you the closure that you need, then go for it,” Daphne said. As always, she understood him better than he thought.

***

“Draco! Have you see the paper?”

Draco yawned and looked up from his coffee, “No, why? And how the hell did the owl get that in here? The windows are tiny!”

“It delivers it to the deck and I collect it,” Hermione said matter of factly, holding her own coffee with her spare hand.

“Since when did you get so comfortable here that you redirected your paper owl?” Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you complaining?” Hermione asked pointedly.

“No, now what is the big deal with the paper this morning?”

“Harry is cured,” Hermione said cheerfully, shoving the paper in his face.

Draco shot her a semi-irritated look and took it from her, “Has anyone ever told you that you are far too much of a morning person?” He muttered as he looked down at the article in question.

“Yes, Harry in fact,” Hermione said, “All the time at school actually.”

“Well I’m with him on this one, you are far too happy in the morning,” Draco said, yawning once more.

** _“WAR HERO HARRY POTTER MAKES MIRACULOUS RECOVERY AND SPEAKS OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME!”_ **

** **

_“In an enlightening speech to reporters yesterday, war hero and saviour of the wizarding world, Harry Potter, talked about his struggle with a life-threatening injury and his miraculous recovery. The injury was made public knowledge two months ago when the story was leaked to this reporter, but Mr. Potter had declined to comment until now. _

_“I was called to an incident at Gringotts banks with my Auror partner, we had no idea how serious the situation was until we arrived. It was a cold November morning in 1999. I knew we should have waited for back-up but I ran in to see if any civilians needed help and my Auror partner and I ended up taking on the Death Eaters inside. When the dome collapsed in that famous picture from the next days edition of the prophet, I was underneath it.”_

_As he spoke Mr. Potter was very mournful and emotional. Mr. Potter spoke truthfully about the events for the first time, stating that he had suffered a severe injury and did not want to be sympathised with by the press, or treated differently by his friends. When asked how he felt when he woke up in St. Mungo’s, Mr. Potter’s answer was painfully honest._

_“Honestly? I felt like my life was over. I woke up after spending a week in a coma. The Healers didn’t know if I would ever wake up at all. When I did they said it was a miracle but that my injury was so severe that I would end up paralysed from the neck down, or the waist down, within 5 to 10 years. My life changed drastically because I felt like the time I had was gradually ticking away.”_

_As he finished his opening speech listeners were then free to ask him questions, some of which Mr. Potter gave interesting and intriguing answers to. When asked how he had dealt with the pain Mr. Potter stated that he had to have excruciatingly painful treatments which could be administrated at home or at St. Mungo’s. Mr. Potter revealed that he has a fear of hospitals and had all of his treatments performed by best friend and war heroine, Hermione Granger. _

_In the latter part of his speech Mr. Potter talked about his struggle to adapt to the fact he would be paralysed 5 to 10 years in the future. His relationship with his then girlfriend Miss Susan Bones gradually began to deteriorate because he felt like he was burdening himself on her, and the fact he could no longer work as an Auror also grated on him. When Miss. Bones ended her relationship with the war hero 3 years after the Gringotts attack he turned into something of a playboy, akin to his Godfather, the deceased, and wrongly accused, Sirius Black. However since becoming Headmaster, Mr. Potter has ensured us that there is someone new in his life who is keeping him on the straight and narrow, but he was very tight-lipped about his new flame’s identity!_

_Finally Mr. Potter discussed his treatment and his miraculous recovery with us. He told listeners that he had resigned himself to the fact that eventually he would become paralysed until his close friend and former girlfriend Ginevra Weasley, informed him of a clinical trial that she was working on. Mr. Potter applied for the clinical trial and got in, giving him access to a ground-breaking new potion. After just over two months on this potion Mr. Potter was told that although he would still experience back pain for the rest of his life, there was no longer a risk of paralysis. He told us how he felt when he heard this news._

_“I expected to hear that the process was working slowly but that it wasn’t quite there yet. When Ginny told me that it was gone, and there was no trace of the shard of metal in my back which was the risk factor for paralysis, I couldn’t believe my ears. I think I might have actually cried. I just felt like I had my life back again.”_

_To finish off the question and answer session, a reporter asked Mr. Potter why he chose to talk about this now, given that it had been some months since the story was initially leaked. Mr. Potter’s answer intrigued the entire room._

_“I think it’s the right time. I understand that people look up to me, and I don’t feel it’s fair to leave those people in the dark. I was afraid that I would be treated differently if people knew about my injury, or the fact I would one day become paralysed, so I kept it from everyone. Not just the press, but even those closest to me. Talking to my students about it made me realise that it did not change who I am or how anyone thought of me. Now that it has resolved itself and I essentially have my life back, it felt like the right time to address it._

_We at the prophet admire Mr. Potter’s bravery in speaking out about this, and we wish him happiness and good health.”_

“That’s a good bit of PR from Potter,” Draco mused, “Perhaps he won’t need as much coaching as I thought he would.”

“He’s already had quite a bit of that from me. How do you think he got the job?” Hermione teased, “Or did you forget that his best friend was into politics?”

Draco smirked at her, “I knew I loved you for a reason.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “So you do love me then?”

“Of course I do,” Draco replied, “How could I not love you? You are everything I ever wanted in a partner. Do you know, my Mother would have loved you, if she had been able to meet you?”

“Really?” Hermione asked in surprise.

Draco nodded, “You are intelligent, witty, funny. You can play the political game as well, if not better, than any man I know. She would have thought you were a perfect match for me.”

“Apart from the whole mudblood thing?”

“Don’t call yourself that,” Draco said sternly, “And that was never my Mother…that was always my Father. It certainly isn’t my viewpoint, I promise you that.”

“I know,” Hermione said honestly, “And Draco?”

“Yes?”

“I love you too.”


	21. The Hammer Falls

Early in the morning towards the end of May, there was a knock on the door of Harry’s office.

“Come in!” Harry called.

The door opened and Theo Nott walked in and smiled, “Morning Harry,” he said cheerfully.

“Hey Theo,” Harry said.

“Here is my signed contract,” Theo said, dropping the parchment onto the desk, “And I need to talk to you about Lacey.”

Harry had smiled at first when he handed over the contract, but he frowned at the mention of Lacey, “Is she alright?”

“She’ll be fine,” Theo said, “But I do need to take her out of school for the day. You see I found out that our Great Aunt died today, and Lacey adored her. She was like a Mother to her when she was growing up. Ah, Great Aunt Bashelda…so I need to tell Lacey about her death, and well since she adored her so much I know she’ll be torn up by the news. I thought I’d take her out of school for the day so she can cope with the news appropriately, but of course it won’t interfere with her studying or her preparation for the final task.”

Harry smiled, “Okay, sure,” he said, grabbing a slip of parchment from under his desk.

“Okay?” Theo asked, as if he was surprised at how quickly Harry had agreed, “Don’t you want to hear the rest of it?”

“Not really,” Harry said simply as he scribbled something down on the piece of parchment and handed it Theo, “I have no idea what you’re really doing today, but I know your Great Aunt Bashelda died three years ago,” he smirked, “Have a good day.”

Theo chuckled and got to his feet, “Can’t fool the great Headmaster Potter,” he said with a wink.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m that great, but if you’re going to come up with an excuse, you could at least make it a believable one,” Harry chuckled.

Theo grinned, “Ah, where’s the fun in that? I’ll have her back before midnight,” he joked as he left the office and headed towards the great hall to grab Lacey.

It felt odd, walking through Hogwarts again especially with the knowledge that he would soon be a professor here. It had been years since he had done this and he felt out of place amongst all the young people around him. When he got to the great hall he got some odd looks as he made his way over to the Slytherin table where he sat down next to Lacey and grabbed a slice of toast.

“Morning Lace, you have the day off school. Great Aunt Bashelda has died,” Theo said calmly with a wink to his sister.

“Okay…” Lacey said slowly as she shared a confused glance with Maisie.

“Come on, much to do, can’t hang around,” Theo said as he jumped to his feet once more.

“Right,” Lacey said, frowning as she got up and followed her brother from the great hall.

“Didn’t her Great Aunt Bashelda die three years ago?” Maisie asked her friends in an undertone as her best friend left the hall looking confused.

***

“Theo what’s going on?” Lacey asked when they got to the entrance hall, “Great Aunt Bashelda died three years ago, and she was a bitter old hag!”

“Shh!” Theo said sharply, “The walls have ears Lacey.”

“You’re so paranoid,” Lacey said in disbelief.

“No, they really do,” Theo whispered, “The portraits will report to the Headmaster.”

“You really are paranoid,” Lacey said as she glanced around at the portraits, “They only relay really important stuff to the Headmaster. I doubt they care about you breaking me out of school today.”

“True,” Theo agreed as they slipped out of the entrance hall into the warm morning air.

“Why _are _you breaking me out of school for the day?” Lacey asked curiously.

“Because Lacey, you are in your final year and you are a Triwizard champion. I think you need a day to unwind so today we are going ice skating, then we are going to have ice cream and go see one of those muggle movie things that Hermione introduced me to,” Theo said as her put his arm around her.

Lacey smiled up at him, “You broke me out of school to give me a day off? Aw Theo, that’s cute!”

Theo elbowed her in the ribs, “Shut up squirt, I don’t do cute.”

“Yes you do.”

“Alright, but don’t tell anyone,” Theo said in a massively over-exaggerated whisper.

Lacey laughed as they passed the greenhouses where Neville and Lilly were hanging around.

“Alright Theo?” Neville said with a smile, “Congrats on the new job, Harry just told us all at the latest staff meeting.”

Lacey raised an eyebrow, “You must be kidding me Professor Longbottom. There is no way my brother would get a job here.”

“Watch it you. Headmaster Potter just hired me to teach Transfiguration next term,” Theo smirked.

“Thank Merlin I’m leaving,” Lacey muttered, “Hell would have to freeze over before I called you Professor Nott.”

Lilly laughed at that, “Have a good day off Lacey, you’ll need it before the final task.”

“Thanks Professor Moon,” Lacey said cheerfully as she and Theo set off through the grounds once more.

“What does she teach? She is _hot_.”

“Ancient Runes and I’m fairly sure she’s dating Professor Longbottom so watch your mouth Theo,” Lacey smirked.

“What?” Theo asked in disbelief, “She’s dating the guy we called Fatbottom in school?”

“Wow that is so harsh, Theo! Professor Longbottom is basically the hot teacher that all the girls have a crush on, well it’s between him and Headmaster Potter actually even though everyone thinks he’s dating Professor Greengrass,” Lacey admitted.

“Well that will change when I start next year,” Theo said smugly, “I can be the students eye candy.”

“No…” Lacey said thoughtfully, “There’s a rumour that Headmaster Malfoy is going to get a job here next year so I think it will be between him and Professor Longbottom.”

Theo shook his head distastefully, “What is this school coming to?” he muttered under his breath.

***

“Thanks for a really good day out Theo,” Lacey said as they sat in the grounds together that evening while the sun set.

“My pleasure Lace,” Theo said, putting his arm around his sister, “But while we’re on good terms, I think I should probably tell you something. You asked me how I knew your Headmaster?”

“Yeah?”

“I know him because I was an informant during the war, and the person who I informed to was him,” Theo admitted.

Lacey’s jaw dropped, “Merlin, seriously? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“It was a shameful thing to be a spy. Even now, if that knowledge became public it wouldn’t be a wholly positive thing,” Theo said honestly, “So Harry and I both kept in on the down low. But in truth, Harry and I actually became very good friends during the war and we still meet up for drinks every few months. Granted, after Astoria and I had the girls, it was longer until we saw each other because life got so busy.”

“I guess that makes sense of the way you two are with each other,” Lacey said as she let this knowledge sink in.

“He saved my life too, in the final battle,” Theo said honestly, “Ironically enough, you know that shield charm you’re so good at?”

“The one Professor Potter taught me?”

Theo nodded, “It was that shield charm of his that saved my life. The piercing hex that was coming my way would have gone straight through an ordinary shield charm so I already owed a lot to Harry before he saved my baby sisters life.”

Lacey smiled, “I wish you had told me sooner, but I understand why you didn’t,” she said, “But I really did mean what I said, I’ve had a great day today Theo. I really needed this.”

Theo smiled at his little sister, “So did I Lace.”

***

“Babe? What are you wearing to the trial tomorrow?”

Harry frowned for a moment, then realisation dawned, along with a sick feeling in his stomach.

“Babe?”

Harry made his way up to the bedroom, “I had forgotten it was tomorrow.”

“I thought you were just avoiding the subject,” Daphne admitted, she had laid out two formal pairs of dress robes on the bed, “I would offer to come with you but we’re already understaffed. Draco is covering your DADA classes and if anything urgent comes up, Neville is on standby.”

“Thank you for organising everything Daph,” Harry said, looking at the two sets of dress robes, “I’m dreading it.”

“I know you are,” Daphne said, “Despite how much she hurt you, you don’t want her to go to prison but she did break some pretty serious laws Harry. If it had just been a mistake that led to a sea serpent and a kelpie getting mixed up, she would have gotten away with just getting sacked but bribing ministry officials?”

Harry sighed, “I feel responsible.”

“Not as responsible as Hermione feels,” Daphne said gently, “She was the one who brought Roger Davies into the whole thing, and then when they investigated and found out about the bribe…they had to take it to a full trial.”

“It’s not Hermione’s fault,” Harry said, “She was just doing her job.”

“It’s Susan’s fault,” Daphne said, “I know that’s hard for you to see because you loved her, but she brought this upon herself.”

Harry nodded and looked at the two outfits once more, “I’ll wear the black robes tomorrow, thanks Daphne.”

***

“You look as nervous as I feel,” Hermione said when Harry stepped into the corridor outside the courtrooms the following morning.

“It’s a guilty sort of nervous,” Harry admitted, “Yes, she broke my heart but do I want her to go to Azkaban? Definitely not.”

“I know how you feel,” Hermione said, “I like Roger and I brought all of this on him. I mean logically I know that he accepted a bribe so it’s his fault, but still…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Harry promised her, “You did your job Hermione.”

Hermione didn’t look quite as convinced by that as they filed into the fairly small room where the jury were already seated in the gallery.

“Ah Mr. Potter, Miss. Granger,” The judge said with a smile, “Please take your seats.”

Harry and Hermione nodded politely and they took seats on the side of the prosecution. Hermione was grateful she only had to give evidence at this trial rather than being the head of the prosecution like she had been in the initial trial. At that point Susan’s ‘crimes’ were only related to the Triwizard Tournament which Hermione had headed therefore it had been her responsibility. However now that Susan was being charged with bribery in addition to gross negligence it was in the hands of people much higher up.

Harry smiled comfortingly at Hermione as a couple more people filed into the room, like Roger who surprisingly joined the side of the prosecution. Hermione resisted rolling her eyes, she knew he had agreed to co-operate for a lesser sentence. There were surprisingly little people on the side of the defence as Susan was led in through another door.

The judge got to his feet and cleared his throat, “We are gathered here today to assess the alleged charges of gross negligence and bribery against the accused, Susan Bones. Mr. Thomson, if you would like to start us off?”

Mr. Thomson, the leader of the prosecution got to his feet and cleared his throat, “The prosecution argue that all charges should be upheld. The evidence for the fact gross negligence was involved in acquiring a Kelpie instead of Sea Serpent for the Triwizard Tournament has already been provided in abundance to this court. However the more recent charges should not be let go. Miss. Bones has been involved with bribes in more than one Ministry department which we have the evidence to show today in the form of the people she bribed. We recommend a sentence of 6 months in the low security sector of Azkaban prison.”

Susan swallowed as the man leading the prosecution, Thomson, called up his first speaker. The Kelpie side of the incident was already wrapped up, so today the speakers were talking about the charges of bribery and corruption. Harry and Hermione were quiet as a couple of co-workers confirmed that they had noticed discrepancies in the paperwork and then Roger was called up.

“Mr. Davies, can you tell the Wizengamot how Miss. Bones used your economic situation to bribe you into fast-tracking the documents for her?” Thomson asked the former Ravenclaw.

“My Wife has just had our second baby and we are struggling for money, when she offered me money to fast-track the documents I am ashamed to say that I accepted it out of desperation,” Roger said, his eyes shamefully on the ground.

“And did Miss. Bones use any other method before agreeing to pay you off?” Thomson asked.

“Yes, she initially tried to seduce me and sleep with me,” Roger said weakly.

Harry scoffed and Hermione shook her head in disgust, partly because she knew what was coming next.

“Is it true Mr. Davies, that you have blank spots in your memory than you can’t explain?” Thomson asked.

Roger nodded, “Yes, I have gaps of around an hour from the time when I was being bribed that I can’t account for. I remember being at my desk in my office and then suddenly looking up to the clock to realise an hour had passed.”

“Can you specify the amount of money that Miss. Bones sent you?”

“She sent me two payments, each one consisting of 300 galleons,” Roger said dutifully.

“And can you confirm the dates of these payments?” Thomson asked.

“I don’t recall off the top of my head, but I gave my account statement as evidence,” Roger said.

“Yes, thank you Mr. Davies. That will be all,” Thomson said, sitting down.

“Does the defence wish to cross-examine?” The judge asked and immediately Susan’s lawyer was on his feet, “Yes your honour.”

The man, a Mr. Donaldson, walked forward, “Mr. Davies. You stated that Miss. Bones tried to seduce you before bribing you. On this occasion, did you sleep with Miss. Bones? Remember you are obliged to tell the truth in the presence of the Wizengamot.”

Roger sighed and said, “Yes, regrettably I did.”

“Did you sleep with Miss. Bones more than once?” Donaldson asked.

“No,” Roger said truthfully.

“And did you willingly sleep with Miss. Bones?” Donaldson asked, smirking.

“I’m not entirely sure. My memory of the night is very sketchy,” Roger said.

“Had you been drinking?”

“No, I don’t drink,” Roger said honestly.

“I think you slept with Miss. Bones willingly,” Donaldson said.

“Mr. Donaldson!” The judge scolded, “This is no place for opinions, questions only please.”

“Yes your honour,” The man said with a sneer, “Final question Mr. Davies, do you have any medical proof that your memory has been tampered with?”

“No,” Roger admitted.

“I rest my case,” Donaldson said, raising his hands into the air.

Roger left the box looking disheartened and Hermione felt awful..

“Mr. Donaldson, could you please present the defence’s case?” The judge asked politely as Donaldson got to his feet once more.

“The defence argue that Miss. Bones did not bribe any Ministry officials, there is no proof that the money in Mr. Davies account came from Miss. Bones. We also argue that Miss. Bones is mentally unstable and unable to speak for herself which we will highlight with a qualified witness.”

“Permission to speak your honour,” Thompson said.

“Permission granted,” The judge said.

He addressed Donaldson and said, “You may not have proof the money came from Miss. Bone’s account, however can you confirm the dates and amounts match perfectly with Mr. Davie’s account of events?”

“Yes,” Donaldson said a little bitterly.

Smirking Thomson took his seat, “That’s all your honour.”

There weren’t many people to stick up for Susan, the only witness was a Healer who took the stand next.

“Can you confirm that Miss. Bones is mentally unstable?” Donaldson asked.

“Yes, she displays many of the signs of severe depression and anxiety. From my initial analysis I believe that being around Mr. Potter again this year, who she had loved deeply, has caused her to relapse into depressive thoughts and caused her to act compulsively.”

Harry scoffed and shook his head.

“Cross-examining?”

Thomson nodded, on his feet once more, “Does Miss. Bones have any history of mental illness?”

“No,” The Healer said.

“And do you have any proof that she is mentally unstable, apart from speculation?” Thomson asked finally.

“No,” The Healer said again.

Thomson sat down and the trial was put on hold while the jury discussed the sentence.

“Mentally unstable? She’s perfectly stable!” Harry hissed.

“I know,” Hermione said darkly, “But it’s their way of trying to lessen her sentence because they know that they can’t win.”

Harry shook his head angrily, “It’s ridiculous.”

“I know, and hopefully the jury see that too,” Hermione said calmly.

After around half an hour, the trial recommenced. Once everyone was seated, the judge looked to the jury and said, “Mrs. Havisham. Could you please deliver the jurys verdict?”

The woman who was tall and horse-like, rather like Harry’s Aunt Petunia, nodded, “We sentence Mr. Davies to 200 hours of community service and loss of headship, demoting him to the most basic role in his department.”

Roger looked gutted.

Susan on the other hand, looked pale as a ghost and terrified.

“We sentence Miss. Bones to 6 months in the low security sector of Azkaban prison,” Havisham said, “Due to the nature of her crimes within the Ministry, and against other human beings we feel this is a fair verdict.”

The hammer fell and that was it.

***

When the greenhouse door swung open, Neville wasn’t surprised to see Harry walk in.

“What have I done to deserve a visit from our lord and saviour, Headmaster Potter?” Neville joked.

“Fuck off Nev,” Harry said, drinking from a hipflask.

Neville raised an eyebrow at him, “Please tell me that’s not polyjuice potion.”

“My names not Moody, or Crouch, don’t worry,” Harry sighed, pushing himself onto a workbench and swatting away the venomous tentacula when it tried to grab his hipflask.

“I feel irrationally bad about the result of Susan’s trial,” Harry complained to his friend, “I know she deserved it, I know what she did was wrong but it just feels _so _harsh. I mean prison? Susan will never hack prison, I dated her for long enough to know that and I am over her, I swear to you I am but this is bothering me and I don’t know why. Why is it bothering me so much Neville?”

“Because Harry, as much as I hate to admit it, you’re a good person,” Neville said with a smile, “You like to see the best in people, even when they do really shitty things. It must be a trait required of a Headmaster, I mean look at Dumbledore.”

Harry sighed again, “Am I even a good Headmaster though?”

“How has Susan’s trial sent you into a self-depreciating stupor?” Neville muttered under his breath, “Honestly Harry, you’re being pathetic. Look, pressure and regret does bad things to some people. Look at what you told me about Snape, he was friends with your Mum for years and she kept him on the straight and narrow but as soon as he did something that he regretted, look at the path it sent him down.”

“What’s your point Neville?”

“My point is that Susan _broke up with you_, and that made her spiral just like it made you spiral. The difference is that you moved on to bigger and better things, but she didn’t and she couldn’t cope with that,” Neville said honestly, “Don’t punish yourself for being the better person.”

Harry frowned, “That…that actually makes a lot of sense Neville.”

“Yeah I know, that’s why I’m the personal agony aunt of every staff member at this bloody school,” Neville said, shaking his head.

Harry sighed, “I’ve missed this Neville.”

“What, ranting to me about your ex-girlfriend?” Neville joked.

“No,” Harry said with a wave of his hand, “Just being able to show up in your greenhouse and talk without having to deal with all of this school stuff and – would you tell your plant to stop trying to nick my firewhiskey?”

“Audrey, chill,” Neville said calmly.

The venomous tentacula drew back a little then slumped, like it was sulking.

“Where was I?”

“You’ve missed talking to me without having to deal with school stuff,” Neville said, biting back an amused smile.

“Yeah, and being able to just share things with someone who isn’t Daphne or Hermione because I love those two, you know? But Daphne always tries to see the bright side which is kind of annoying and Hermione always judges which is also annoying. But you just listen, and occasionally make sarcastic comments,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“Harry, you’re drunk aren’t you?”

“A little bit,” Harry replied sheepishly.

Neville shook his head in amusement and grabbed his friend by the shoulders, “As much as I want to let you wander through the school in this state just to give the students a laugh, I always want them to be able to respect their Headmaster so I’m going to take you through the Herbology tower.”

“Ooh, did you like the creepy living dead tree we put in?” Harry asked enthusiastically.

Neville shook his head in amusement, “You seriously need to go to bed and sleep this off,” he chuckled.

***

Around a week after the trial, Harry was sitting in his office with Hermione who had also gathered Fleur and Draco for a big announcement.

“So apparently I need to do this formally according to the Minister for Magic,” Hermione said, “Due to the imprisonment of the previous Head of the Department of Magical Sports and Games a new Head has been appointed and this person will be the new judge for the remainder of the tournament. Obviously the rules state that this should not happen unless a Judge dies but given the circumstances we have had to tweak them a little.”

“Nothing wrong with tweaking the rules,” Draco said somewhat suggestively towards Hermione.

Harry made a face at this, “Malfoy, decorum please.”

Draco smirked, “When do we find out who this new judge is?”

“In about 5 minutes when Kingsley comes in to introduce him,” Harry said, he glanced at the clock on the wall, “He also needs to talk to us all about the third task. Given what happened during the second task, the protocol is going to be very strict to make sure that nobody is seriously hurt.”

Draco and Fleur both nodded, then the door to the office opened. Harry got to his feet and shook the Ministers hand, “Good to see you again Kingsley, I thought you were bringing the new Head with you?”

“He is just behind me,” Kingsley boomed, “Meet your new judge, Oliver Wood.”

Harry smiled when Oliver stepped into the office, “Oliver! It’s been too long.”

Oliver chuckled and shook his hand, “It’s good to see you Harry.”

“Take a seat,” Harry said, gesturing to the empty chair, “This is Draco Malfoy, Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute and Fleur Delacour-Weasley, Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Oh and you will know Hermione already?”

Oliver nodded and looked at Hermione, “Good to see you again Hermione.”

“You too Oliver,” Hermione said politely.

Kingsley clapped his hands together, “Now that the formalities are out of the way, we need to talk about this tournament. Hermione has been doing an excellent job of keeping this show on the road, _but _given what happened with the kelpie, I want to make sure we work together to make sure that the same thing does not happen again. All of the paperwork has been double and triple checked so we know exactly what is going into the task. But I would appreciate it if you could all be diligent when watching the task and act the moment you see anything untoward in the unlikely event anything else does go wrong,”

“Of course,” Harry said sincerely.

“Good. Hermione, would you care for a walk so we can discuss the task in more detail?” Kingsley then asked.

Hermione nodded and got to her feet, “Of course sir, I mean Kingsley.”

Kingsley chuckled and led her from the room. Harry smiled over at Oliver and said, “Welcome to the team Oliver!”

***

When Hermione returned from her walk with Kingsley, she wasn’t in the best of moods which Draco discovered rather quickly.

“Draco, why can’t I call him Kingsley?” Hermione fumed at herself, “I’ll be working with him closely soon but I can’t _not _call him sir, I’m trying so hard!”

Draco snorted, “You have a bit of a thing about authority figures Hermione.”

“What?” Hermione snapped.

“You have irrational respect for authority figures, whether or not they deserve it,” Draco pointed out, “But you also have a thing for authority figures let’s be honest. Pretty much everyone you’ve dated has been in an authoritative role like an Auror for example, or your boss.”

Hermione frowned, “Yes…I hadn’t actually noticed that.”

“Or a hot Headmaster,” Draco added.

Hermione smirked at him, “What are you talking about? I’ve never dated Harry.”

“Oh shut up, smart arse,” Draco said, grabbing her and kissing her.


	22. No Stranger to my Sins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title comes from the song, "Skeletons" by Eli Young Band which inspired the title for this story :)

A few days passed and then at 7pm on Friday evening there was a knock on the door of Harry’s office. Putting his paperwork to the side he called, “Come in!”

He was meeting with Lacey today to discuss the third task with her, he could tell she was nervous and they hadn’t really had any meetings to discuss it yet. It was only a month until she would have to face the final task after all.

“Hey Professor Potter,” Lacey said with a smile as she sat down across from him.

“Good evening Miss. Nott,” Harry said with a fond smile, “Did you enjoy your day off school?”

“Yes,” Lacey said slowly, “Thank you for letting me pay my respects to Great Aunt Bashelda.”

Harry smirked, “Your Great Aunt Bashelda died three years and you hated her, I knew exactly what your brother was up to.”

Lacey grinned, “But you still let him do it?”

Harry smiled mischievously, “You needed a day off. Are you nervous yet?”

“Getting that way,” Lacey admitted.

Harry chuckled, “I know the feeling,” he said, remembering how he and Hermione had practiced in empty classrooms leading up to the final task, “We’ve been given an outline for the final task which we are permitted to pass on to our champions so you won’t be going in completely blind.”

Lacey frowned slightly, “How bad is it?”

“It sounds okay,” Harry said honestly, “I don’t think you’ll have many problems with it.”

“Really?” Lacey asked hopefully.

“Yep,” Harry said with a smile, “All I have been told is that this is a challenge of how well you excel in different types of magic. There will be six sections each which deal with a set area, you have to complete a challenge to pass through each one then you’ll be scored on your performance. The score gets added to your overall score and the champion with the best score wins.”

Lacey was nodding as Harry spoke, “So that’s all you know? That there’s six sections? Like an obstacle course?”

“Exactly like an obstacle course,” Harry said, leaning forward and saying, “But you forget that we have the advantage here, because Miss. Granger is planning the tournament and I know her very well. She accidentally told me that a dark labyrinth will be involved and that there will be some flying.”

“Flying?” Lacey asked with a grin, “I love flying!”

“We don’t need to work on your flying, I mean you’re the seeker for Slytherin, you’ll do fine,” Harry said, “Although you _may _have to fly a broomstick that you aren’t used to, but all of you will have the same broom, a Nimbus probably.”

“I can handle that,” Lacey said with ease, “What more do you know about this dark labyrinth?”

“Just that it’s dark and maze-like,” Harry said apologetically, “But I have a feeling that I know which subjects the other sections of the course will be in. I think you’ll be facing something related to Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration and Charms.”

“How do you know that Sir?” Lacey asked curiously.

“Miss. Granger and I have been friends since our first year of Hogwarts,” Harry said with a slight smile, “I know how she thinks and I think she’s basing the task on her own experiences, most of which we shared.”

“Ah,” Lacey grinned, “That is convenient. So how should I prepare sir?”

“Just practice, make sure you’re up to scratch on all the subjects I named which shouldn’t be too hard. I know for a fact you’re the best in the class when it comes to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Greengrass has informed me you excel in potions so I don’t think you should worry too much about that either. Professor Longbottom has told me that your knowledge of plants is great and that you pick things up easily. I know you struggle with Transfiguration, but how are you with charms?”

“I know a lot,” Lacey said as she bit her lip, “And I get good grades…I’m probably about as good as I can be. It’s Transfiguration I’m really worried about.”

“Don’t worry about it too much, you might not even have to transfigure something, you might just have to fight a transfigured object,” Harry said reassuringly, “And even if you do I really wouldn’t worry, I’ve been watching you in the last two tasks and your transfiguration has been a damn sight better than mine was when I was in the tournament.”

Lacey smiled weakly, “You really think I’ll be alright?”

“I’ll go one step better than alright,” Harry said honestly, “I think you can win it.”

Lacey smiled a little and looked down to the ground, “I’m not sure about that Professor Potter.”

“Come on now, don’t be modest,” Harry said with a smirk, “Where’s the Slytherin side of Lacey Nott?”

Lacey grinned at this and said, “Okay, okay, you’re right. I _could _win it.”

Harry chuckled and said, “Exactly, you’re almost as good as me, which is a big compliment considering I went on to defeat the darkest wizard of our age.”

“Not that you like to boast about it,” Lacey said cheekily, slapping her hand across her mouth when she realised what she had said, “Sorry sir.”

Harry only laughed and said, “Don’t be. Now, I knew you would be worried about your Transfiguration so I’ve got someone to coach you with that.”

“Is it Professor Greengrass?” Lacey asked hopefully.

“No,” Harry said, waving to someone on the balcony, “It’s our new Transfiguration teacher who will be starting next term.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Lacey muttered when Theo smirked at her from the top of the staircase.

“I am pretty damn good at Transfiguration though Lacey, and you wanna win this tournament don’t you?” Theo asked her.

“Yes,” Lacey said grudgingly.

“And you two love each other really,” Harry chuckled, “Theo could probably help you out with your duelling too.”

Lacey frowned, “My duelling?”

“You are good, but everyone could do with a little bit of practice,” Harry said, “And with Theo’s background, he is an expert dueller.”

Lacey’s frown deepened, “His background? Sorry sir, but he’s a lawyer and Uncle Draco said he was a terrible dueller at school.”

Theo shot Harry a glare and Harry realised that he had put his foot in it.

“Don’t worry about it Lace, I just got better I guess,” Theo said, “It’s no big deal.”

“Yes it is!” Lacey exclaimed, “Because I don’t even know who you are anymore Theo! You tell me you fought in the war and now all of a sudden you’re amazing at duelling! How many more secrets are you hiding from me?”

“Just tell her the truth,” Harry mumbled under his breath, “I didn’t realise that you hadn’t told her, I’m sorry.”

Theo sighed. Lacey was still fuming at him when he said, “I lied to you about my job, I’m not a lawyer. I’m actually a hit wizard.”

Lacey stared at him and the room was silent for a good few minutes before she said, “You…you…you kill people for a living?”

“Bad people,” Theo said quietly, “Murderers, rapists, _bad people_…”

“It doesn’t matter how bad they are! You kill people for a living!” Lacey screamed, “I can’t believe you Theo, I can’t believe you would keep this from me!”

Lacey stormed from the room, leaving a distraught Theo in her wake.

“Tell her the truth? Good idea Harry!” Theo snapped, sitting down heavily in a chair in front of his desk.

“She had to know,” Harry said firmly, “It’s not my fault you kept it from her for so long.”

“You saw her reaction,” Theo said weakly, “Do you see why I kept it from her now?”

“I understand but, you do kill people for a living so do you blame her?” Harry asked as he poured Theo a drink and handed it to him, “Give her some time to come to terms with it.”

“This is why I was happy to take you up on the job offer,” Theo said honestly, “I need a slower pace of life. I need…I need a job that doesn’t haunt me.”

“I know,” Harry said, placing his hand on Theo’s shoulder.

“I kill people to protect her, to protect my family…to protect everyone,” Theo said quietly, “That’s what I tell myself, that’s how I justify it but sometimes it’s not so easy. What Lacey doesn’t know, what nobody knows, is how many more dark lords there would have been had my department not taken them out before they became too powerful.”

“Tell her that then,” Harry said, “You are her brother and she loves you. Just give her a couple of days to come to terms with things and wrap her head around it, you know?”

“Yeah,” Theo said with a heavy sigh, “Is she okay about the final task?”

“She’s a little worried,” Harry said honestly, “But that’s only natural.”

Theo nodded and got to his feet, drinking the firewhiskey Harry had given him in one gulp, “Thanks Harry, for the drink and the advice.”

“What are friends for?” Harry asked as he too got to his feet, “Once you two make up, come back and help her brush up on her Transfiguration and her duelling.”

“Sure thing,” Theo said, “Mind if I use your floo?”

“Not at all,” Harry said with a smile as Theo disappeared into the fireplace.

Harry pulled his invisibly cloak out from his desk and put it on, going out to search for Lacey. She had been in quite a state when she left and Harry was worried about her.

***

Hermione had been on her way to Harry’s office when she had been knocked to the ground by a girl running through the corridor in tears.

Hermione frowned, “Lacey?” she asked as the girl apologised profusely and helped her up.

“I’m so sorry Miss. Granger,” Lacey said, “I didn’t see anyone coming.”

“It’s okay,” Hermione said, wiping the marks from her skirt, “Are you alright?”

Lacey nodded, but it was clear from her puffy red eyes that she wasn’t, “Do you want to talk about it?” Hermione asked gently.

Lacey nodded weakly, it was as if she was trying not to burst out crying again. They walked into an empty classroom and sat down at one of the desks, “What’s wrong?”

Lacey sniffed and said, “My brother is such an arsehole.”

Hermione smiled weakly, “Yeah, he can be. What’s he done this time?”

“He’s been lying to me about everything,” Lacey whispered, “He never told me about his involvement in the war and now…now I’ve just found out that he kills people for a living.”

Hermione sighed and put her arm around Lacey, “He does, but did you stick around for long enough to find out _why _he does it?”

Lacey shook her head, “It doesn’t matter, he’s still a murderer.”

“Maybe he is,” Hermione agreed, “But hit wizards have such an important job Lacey. There was one dark lord, Voldemort, but there have been so many more and we have all been saved from them by hit wizards. Is it not better for one person to die to prevent a war that could kill hundreds?”

“That’s a very Utilitarian attitude,” Lacey said stiffly.

Hermione smiled, “Know your Muggle theories, do you? Yes it is, the happiness of the majority over the happiness of the minority. Perhaps it’s selfish, but as someone who lost people in a war, I have a lot of respect for what your brother does.”

“How do you know about it Miss. Granger?” Lacey asked tearfully.

“Because your brother was my first love, and before he broke my heart to marry Astoria, he told me what he was planning on doing with his life,” Hermione replied honestly, “But even back then Lacey, and we are talking about a good 7 years ago, he loved you very much. Everything he did in the war was to keep you safe from harm and I know for a fact that he feels being a hit wizard is keeping you safe too. You, Astoria and his children are his priority Lacey, but before any of them came along you were his only one.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh on him,” Lacey said quietly.

“He will understand that you were angry because it took you by surprise,” Hermione said, “Give it a couple of days and I am sure that he will come grovelling for your forgiveness.”

“I should be the one apologising,” Lacey said sadly.

“No, you shouldn’t. He shouldn’t have kept it from you, but sometimes people keep things from those they love to keep them safe,” Hermione said as she gave the girl a hug, “A very close friend of mine spent a long time not being truthful with me, and I thought it was because I wasn’t trusted. I realised after the war that he was trying to protect me, if people didn’t think I knew anything they wouldn’t try to hurt me. Do you understand?”

Lacey nodded and wiped her eyes, “Thank you Miss. Granger,” she said weakly.

“No problem,” Hermione said as she got to her feet, “Now, you had better hurry along back to your common room before curfew.”

Lacey nodded and rushed from the room, Hermione sighed and got to her feet. She could have sworn she heard breathing as she left the room, it made her pause and look around.

“Harry, is that you?”

“No…”

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, “Were you eavesdropping?”

The cloak was pulled off and they began to walk together towards Harry’s office, “I was looking for Lacey to check she was okay actually. She sort of stormed out my office after she found out about Theo. I saw you talking and decided to listen in.”

Hermione chuckled and said, “Well I think I managed to help, she calmed down at least.”

“Yes, she did seem better,” Harry agreed, he smiled at Hermione, “You were talking about me weren’t you? In the close friend story?”

“Yes I was,” Hermione said as they ascended the stairs to his office, “But don’t let it go to your head, your ego needs deflating as it is.”

Harry chuckled, “Why are you following me to my office Hermione?”

“Because, we need to discuss safety measures for the third task,” Hermione said with false cheerfulness.

Harry groaned, “At 8.30pm on a Friday night?”

“No rest for the wicked Harry,” Hermione said, throwing herself onto the sofa in his office, “So barrier charms for the crowd-”

Harry groaned again and let his head hit his desk with quite some force, and a rather loud thud.

***

Theo gave Lacey distance, as Harry had suggested. Then after a couple of days, he came back to Hogwarts to apologise to her. As it so happened, he didn’t need to because she hugged him the moment she stepped out of the common room.

Theo was surprised by the show of emotion, “I’m sorry, I thought I was supposed to be apologising to you?”

“I should be apologising to you,” Lacey said with a sigh, “I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you Theo. What you do is really noble, you put your life on the line to stop dangerous people becoming the next Lord Voldemort.”

Theo smiled, “But not for too much longer. When I took on that job Lace, I didn’t have too much to lose. I had just broken up with the love of my life to fulfil the marriage contract Dad had so kindly written up for me, and I was coming to terms with the fact I’d probably end up trapped in one of those typical pureblood marriages where there is no love, only regret. And you had your own life and your own friends at school. But then, Astoria and I miraculously fell in love and we have the girls and you are your own person now, but I’d like to think you still need your big brother around so a more stable job is a good thing, for all of us.”

Lacey smiled proudly at him, “That’s very mature.”

“Well, it does happen,” Theo chuckled, he put his arm around her and led her out of the dungeons.

“So Miss. Granger was the love of your life?” Lacey asked curiously.

“Oh yeah, really did a number on me that one,” Theo said with a fond smile, “Smart, funny, could easily hold her own in a duel when I pissed her off, we definitely tested that one more than once.”

Lacey laughed as Theo continued, “And to this day, the only person I could ever hold an intellectual conversation with for hours and not get bored. For a long time I regretted throwing that away.”

“So why did you?” Lacey asked, “If you loved her so much why didn’t you just throw away the marriage contract and tell Dad to burn in hell?”

“Because if I did that,” Theo said honestly, “It wouldn’t have just affected me. You were underage at the time, so when I tore up the marriage contract I would lose everything. Now the title I wasn’t bothered about, but the house and the money? Lace, where was I as a kid just out of school, going to find the money to get _you _through school? Where were you going to come home in the summers? To a tiny little flat with Hermione and me? I couldn’t ruin your life just to get my happily ever after, so I married Astoria and I’d like to think you’ve never had to want for anything in life because of that.”

Lacey frowned up at him, “You threw away the love of your life so that I could have a good life?”

Theo smiled somewhat sadly at her, “Lace, I loved Hermione, I really did. But not as much as I love you, you’re my baby sister and all I wanted was for you to have the life you deserved. I like to think you got that, your Hogwarts years were a lot happier than mine were, that’s for sure.”

“You achieved that Theo,” Lacey said tearfully, “And thank you.”

Theo just smiled at her, “Head on up to Harry’s office okay? I’ll join you there in a bit, but there’s something I need to do first.”

Lacey nodded. She hugged her brother once more for luck and darted up the grand staircase. Theo turned around and smiled, “Come on Hermione, show your face.”

There was silence.

“I could smell that perfume a mile off, give up the act,” Theo said with a fond smile.

Hermione appeared, out of a secret passageway in the upper dungeons, “I wasn’t here to eavesdrop,” she promised, “This is just a nice reading spot.”

Theo chuckled and climbed into the little nook, “I know, you used to use it when we were doing our N.E.W.T’s here.”

Hermione couldn’t meet his eye, “Did you mean it? Everything you just told Lacey?”

“Every word,” Theo said honestly, “And I’m sorry, that I never said any of it to you.”

Hermione sighed, “I wish you would have. I wasted so much time and energy hating you Theo, if you had just told me the truth…”

“You would just have been bitter about missing me,” Theo said quietly, “It was better that way. If you hated me, you wouldn’t be sad and then you would move on.”

“That’s a pretty selfless thought, from a Slytherin,” Hermione said. She knew it was dangerous but she looked up and caught his eye.

“There’s not many people I would be selfless for,” Theo said softly, “Lacey is one and you were the other.”

Hermione found herself catapulted back in time as she looked into those ever familiar eyes. She found herself as a teenage girl again, being grabbed by Theo in corridors in-between classes and kissed in broom closets…

_“Theo, I am going to be late for History of Magic!”_

_“Who cares? Binns won’t notice anyway, he’s already dead,” Theo said against her lips._

_“But-”_

_“And it’s a pointless class anyway Mione,” Theo added, kissing her again._

_Hermione groaned and pulled away from him, “Goddamn it Theo, you are a bad influence. I’m never going to pass my N.E.W.T’s with you around.”_

_Theo smirked at her, “Don’t worry Granger. I’ll make sure you get another study session in later,” he said suggestively._

“I’m sorry,” Theo said again, bringing Hermione back to earth, “You never deserved anything that I did to you. What I did was wrong, but the fact I lied to you afterwards…that was worse.”

Hermione tore her eyes away from Theo’s and looked down at the ground again, “The worst part was thinking that I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t wanted. For a long, long time, that left a mark on me Theo.”

“I know,” Theo said quietly, “But I think it worked out for the best, don’t you? Even if we had worked in the real world, I very much doubt that you would have been able to handle what I did for a living.”

“I understand it, more than you might think,” Hermione admitted with a frown, “Harry was so angry when he found out that Dumbledore had believed in Grindelwald’s theory about the greater good. But the thing is, the concept is true. Sometimes you have to do a bad thing, for the greater good and it takes a very strong person to be able to see that like you do.”

Their eyes met again and Hermione’s stomach flipped. She knew she still had feelings for Theo, but she had been able to ignore them up until this point.

Theo made the first move, leaning over and capturing her lips. Hermione knew it was wrong, everything within her screamed at her to shove him away. She was with Draco, and Theo was married, Theo had children.

But despite it all, she kissed him back. She savoured the sweetness of the kiss, because they both knew what it was, it was a goodbye. The goodbye they had never had 7 years ago.

When Theo pulled away he smiled softly at her.

“Thank you,” Hermione said tearfully, “For the closure. I needed that.”

“I did too,” Theo assured her. He got to his feet, “I think you and Draco are going to make each other very happy.”

Hermione smiled weakly at him, then he was gone, just like that. She let her head drop into her hands, she had just let Theo kiss her. Her ex-boyfriend and first love, Theo. She knew she was going to have to tell Draco, because Hermione didn’t cope very well with a guilty conscience.

But the thought made her feel sick to her stomach.

***

“Ah Miss. Nott,” Harry smiled when she walked into the office, “Have you and your brother made up?”

Lacey smiled, “We have sir. Theo is joining us, but he said he had something to do first.”

“No problem,” Harry said smoothly, “Are you ready for your duelling lesson?”

Lacey nodded, “I still don’t know why you can’t duel me sir. It’s going to be weird duelling my brother.”

“Just remember how annoyed you were with him a few days ago when you are duelling him,” Harry remarked. He waved his wand and turned his office into a mini duelling platform, “Channel that and you will do fine.”

At this Lacey grinned. Harry sat down behind his desk, “Professor Greengrass tells me that you have been practicing your Transfiguration? She commends you on that, but she is rather fed up of finding you in abandoned classrooms after curfew,” he said with a smile.

Lacey bit her lip, “Sorry sir, but can I say something a little out of line?”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, “Go on.”

“I know you’re trying to keep it a secret that you are dating Professor Greengrass,” Lacey said quickly, “But the thing is, the whole school knows.”

Harry bit back an amused smile, “I know Miss. Nott. Unfortunately, there is no place like Hogwarts to try and keep a secret. Professor Greengrass and I have not being doing the best job of keeping our relationship a secret. However, come the end of the term, we will not need to do so anymore.”

Lacey frowned, “How sir?”

Harry just smiled mysteriously, “You will see,” he said cryptically.

“Merlin, he really is channelling you, you old coot,” Severus’s portrait muttered to Albus’s.

Albus just smiled proudly at Harry. Before Lacey could question Harry any further, the door opened and Theo joined them.

“Ah, here he is,” Harry said with a smile, “I hear you two are on good terms again.”

Theo smiled at his sister, “We always make up, don’t we brat?”

Lacey rolled her eyes, “Yes Theo, even though you are a complete arse, we do.”

Harry chuckled and leant back in his chair, “Alright then it’s duelling time. Talk her through it Theo, I’ll watch.”

“You might want to put a shield charm up,” Theo remarked in amusement, “Have you seen her spell casting?”

“Her spell casting is fantastic,” Harry said with a smile, “When was the last time you saw her use magic, _properly _that is, not just to do basic charms around the house?”

“About 5 bloody years ago,” Lacey muttered under her breath as she took to one end of the platform.

“That almost sounded like a challenge sis,” Theo said with a grin as he got up on the other end of the platform.

Harry laughed and was wondering why this had ever seemed like a good idea when Hermione walked in, frowning at the scene and walking around the edge of the platform to Harry’s desk.

“Hey Hermione,” Harry said, smiling at her sheepishly, “Grab a seat,” he added, wandlessly conjuring one up for her.

“What’s going on here?” Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes at the scene in the office.

“Theo is just duelling Lacey,” Harry said as the siblings bowed to each other and walked back to their side of the platform, “For recreational reasons.”

“He’s training her, isn’t he?” Hermione asked, seeing right through Harry as she always did.

Harry smiled a little sheepishly at her, “Well…okay yeah. Yeah, he is.”

Hermione shook her head, both exasperated and amused, like she couldn’t decide whether she was annoyed with Harry or secretly glad. After all, she wanted Lacey to win just as much as Harry did, but she like Harry, wasn’t supposed to show bias.

“Just in case,” Harry mumbled, conjuring a shield charm which sprung up around them like a bubble, “You never know…sibling rivalry and all.”

“Theo’s going to have to go easy on her,” Hermione said with a frown as the duel began, “I mean he’s a hit wizard and she’s just a student.”

“She’s an exceptional student,” Harry said, “She might give him a run for his money.”

Hermione smiled slightly, “They’re only using defensive and harmless spells because they don’t want to hurt each other.”

They watched the duel, it was incredible actually, like watching two professionals.

“They do love each other, underneath all the bickering,” Harry agreed, “But what brings you here anyway?”

“I could lie and say we needed to talk business about the tournament, but I needed a friend,” Hermione admitted, “I did something kind of stupid.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, “Now this is interesting. Normally I’m the one doing stupid things.”

“I know, but this time it was me who kissed my ex-boyfriend,” Hermione mumbled under her breath.

Harry’s eyes widened, “Which ex-boyfriend?”

Hermione nudged her head in Theo’s direction.

“Oh,” Harry realised, _“That _ex-boyfriend.”

“Yes,” Hermione muttered, “I overheard him talking to Lacey about the real reason he broke up with me to run off and marry Astoria. It wasn’t because he loved her or because he was selfish and couldn’t give up his Manor and his money. It was because he knew if he refused the contract, he wouldn’t be able to give Lacey the life that she deserved.”

“Ah,” Harry realised quietly.

“So we talked and then he kissed me, to say goodbye, for closure you know?” Hermione whispered, “But I still feel guilty about it.”

“I wouldn’t,” Harry said honestly, “And I don’t think there’s any need to tell Draco either. Like you said, it was closure and it was a goodbye so leave it be.”

Hermione sighed, “I don’t know if my conscience can handle that.”

“There’s no point getting Draco upset or angry over it,” Harry said logically, “So just come to terms with it.”

Hermione turned back to the duel while she thought about that for a moment. Then Lacey distracted them by shouting, “Aw what! That was sabotage, not cool Theo!”

“Nobody said that we couldn’t play dirty,” Theo said with a grin as he put his wand back in his pocket.

Harry frowned, trying to figure out what he had done that had irritated Lacey so much. Then he saw the dead snake on the ground.

Theo chuckled as he jumped down from the platform and mumbled to Harry, “Learnt that one from Draco. Can you still talk to them?”

“Not since the war,” Harry admitted.

Theo nodded, “Ah, of course.”

“Professor Potter, why don’t you duel my brother?” Lacey asked out of the blue.

Harry laughed and said, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea Lacey. Not after what happened the last time we duelled…”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “You two have duelled before?”

“Oh yeah,” Theo grinned, “Seem to remember I beat you last time Harry.”

“Oh I bet I could beat you now though,” Harry smirked.

“Bring it on then,” Theo said with a grin, he knew how to egg Harry on.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head as Harry got to his feet and climbed up onto the platform to duel Theo.

“I suppose you better come over here Lacey,” Hermione said, “I expect we will be safer under a shield charm with those two duelling.”

Lacey laughed and sat down next to Hermione who put a shield charm over them both.

“Scared, Potter?” Theo asked.

“Hey, that’s Draco’s line!” Hermione joked.

Harry laughed, “I’ve got to agree. That is definitely Draco’s line.”

And with that, the duel began. It was so good and so quick that it was hard to follow. The beams of light shot across the room, bouncing off of shield charms, occasionally bouncing off of each other. A few things were smashed, there was lots of ducking and then all of a sudden, Theo was lying on the ground clutching his side and Harry was holding his wand.

“Why do you always have to finish on Expelliarmus?”

“It’s my signature spell,” Harry grinned, throwing Theo his wand back.

Lacey cheered and clapped when Harry beat her brother, to which Theo only glared at her in response.

“Alright Miss. Nott,” Harry said with a smile, “The fun is over. You better get back to your common room.”

“Okay, thanks for the lesson Professor. Potter. See you later Theo,” Lacey said as she got to the door of the office.

“See you later squirt,” Theo said, waving her out of the door.

Once she was gone, Harry poured Theo a drink, “Hermione, are you staying?”

“No,” Hermione said, avoiding meeting Theo’s gaze, “I need to…get back to…well I need to do…”

“She needs to run away because I just kissed her and she’s freaking out,” Theo translated, sitting down and putting his feet up on Harry’s desk.

“Yeah, let’s go with that,” Hermione said quickly, her cheeks burned, “See you later Harry.”

“Bye Hermione,” Harry said, chuckling as she darted out of the office.

“I probably shouldn’t have kissed her,” Theo mused.

“Not your finest moment,” Harry agreed.

“I just…she was looking at me with those eyes, all full of sadness and…I just had to kiss her,” Theo said with a faraway look in his eyes.

“You’re married,” Harry reminded him.

“I know.”

“You have children.”

“I know.”

“She is dating your _best friend_.”

“I know,” Theo groaned, “But in all fairness, he’s not really my best friend anymore. I mean yes he was the Best Man at my wedding, but then he ran off and deserted me for the frozen wastelands of Europe, you know?”

“That’s not the point,” Harry reminded him.

“I know, but still…Hermione did date me first,” Theo said.

“Don’t even go down that road,” Harry said darkly, “You are one of my best friends Theo, but Hermione is like my sister, a sister I had weird feelings for one time, but a sister all the same.”

“Not at all weird,” Theo joked.

Harry didn’t laugh, “I’m serious Theo. You broke her heart once, don’t do it all over again. Unless you are fully committed to divorcing your wife to be with Hermione, don’t flirt with her, don’t look at her lovingly and don’t bloody kiss her.”

Theo needed the jolt back to reality, “You’re right, I’m sorry. I just got lost in the nostalgia for a moment and I wanted that life back, but it could never happen now, you’re right.”

Harry sighed and topped up his glass, “Glad we got that out of the way without any further hexes getting thrown around. That was a damn good duel you know.”

“Yeah about that,” Theo said, nursing the spot where Harry had caught him with a stinging hex, “How did you get so good again? I hammered you last time!”

“My back injury healed,” Harry smirked, “That was why I had to stop duelling in the end, if I twisted the wrong way I could barely move for days.”

“Are you going to be getting back into the duelling tournament scene again then?” Theo asked hopefully, “I could do with a challenge.”

“I...I don’t think so,” Harry said with a smile as his eyes inadvertently went upwards, to the closed door of the balcony where he knew Daphne was reading one of her favourite books.

“Aw you’re kidding right? I can tell how much you miss it,” Theo said conversationally.

“I do miss it, but I think I’m going to settle down,” Harry said honestly, “I know you and Astoria like the whole being busy thing, but between your job and duelling and your dozens of hobbies you’re hardly around. I want to be there for Daphne, and for my kids, when they come along.”

“You’ve gone soft,” Theo said with a slight smile.

“Maybe I have,” Harry said with a smile to his friend, “But it’s better than the way I used to be.”

“True,” Theo said as he got to his feet, “Anyway Harry, I best be off. I’ll probably see you in a month or so for the final task.”

“Yeah,” Harry said, “See you then Theo.”

When Theo was gone, the door of the balcony opened and Daphne looked down at him from above.

“You heard all that then?” Harry guessed.

Daphne smiled, “You have gone soft.”

“Are you complaining?” Harry quipped.

Daphne shook her head, “Never,” she said softly, “But a little birdy by the name of Helen Franklin did tell me that you fell asleep at your desk this morning so I think you ought to come to bed.”

Harry smiled up at her, “You go in, I’ll be there in 5 minutes,” he promised.

Daphne disappeared into the bedroom and Harry had to smile because, all in, his life was pretty damn good.


	23. The Final Task

“What did you tell him?”

“That we were having a meeting about the third task,” Hermione said to the others who were gathered in the staff room.

“In the staff room?” Harry asked in amusement.

“Hey, he believed it!” Hermione objected.

The staff room was fairly small and filled with balloons and banners saying “Happy Birthday”. There weren’t many people here, just Harry, Hermione, Fleur, Daphne, Neville, Lilly, Theo and a bunch of other teachers, including McGonagall and Flitwick.

When they heard footsteps they all fell silent and when the door was pushed open everyone shouted, “Surprise!”

Draco jumped and his eyes widened when he saw the banners and the balloons, at first he looked like he might shout but then he smiled and said, “Thank you.”

Hermione stepped forward and smiled at him, after all this had all been her idea, “Happy Birthday Draco. We all got you a present.”

She handed him a package which he opened to find a book on advanced Defence against the Dark Arts, “This is great. Thank you Hermione,” he said, kissing her on the cheek, “Thank you everyone,” he added and he really did seem genuinely grateful.

Harry couldn’t help but wonder if this was the first time anyone had thrown him a birthday party in his adult life.

“Hermione thought you might like a party, since you are away from home,” Harry explained.

“To be honest, I’ve felt far more at home here than I ever did in Durmstrang,” Draco said as he grabbed a butterbeer from the table, “That’s why I can’t wait to make this my permanent home after the holidays.”

“And we’re all happy you decided to join us,” Harry assured him.

Lilly grinned, “Yeah it’s going to be great fun listening into your pre-term meetings with Harry.”

“Fancy setting that duelling platform up as a permanent fixture in your office?” Theo joked.

Harry chuckled and looked at Draco, “Actually, I doubt it will be required. Apart from some small differences of opinion, I would say Draco and I get on rather well.”

“Which is a good thing, considering the fact I am dating your best friend,” Draco pointed out.

“Thank Merlin for that,” Hermione muttered under her breath.

“In all seriousness, I am looking forward to coming home,” Draco said, “But the one thing I have not missed is the press here. I don’t know how you handle them Harry.”

“He doesn’t,” Hermione said, shooting Harry an amused look, “He punches reporters who then take out restraining orders against him.”

“I did it on purpose,” Harry bluffed, “Since I had a restraining order I had to stay away from the stupid guy, so he had to stop interviewing me.”

“No offence Harry, but you don’t seem like the type to plan that far ahead,” Draco said in amusement.

“Okay, so it was a happy accident,” Harry compromised.

Daphne laughed, “That’s more accurate.”

“Thank you for doing this,” Draco said again, “This is the first time since I was very young that anyone has acknowledged my birthday.”

Hermione wrapped her arms around him, “Well every year from now on, as long as I’m around, it will be acknowledged,” she promised him.

Draco just smiled warmly at her in response.

***

June flew by, with Harry preparing for the exams, writing out timetables, going over the papers that the other Professors had written and signing off on them. Hermione was just as busy with the final task looming over them.

After Draco’s birthday party at the start of June, there was a two week exam period in which Harry had to do a lot of peer marking and reviewing of the examination conditions. When it finally ended Harry realised the final task was upon them, it would take place on Saturday and then the students would be sent home on the train on Monday.

One week before the end of term, Harry had his last meeting with Lacey, she looked a lot less sure of herself when she came into his office and sat down across from his desk.

“You look nervous,” Harry said, stating the obvious.

Lacey nodded and said, “There’s a lot more pressure with it being the final task.”

“I understand that,” Harry said honestly, “But try and stay as calm as possible about it. I know you can do it, deep down you know you can do it. So whats really wrong?”

“What happened in the second task,” Lacey frowned, “It knocked my confidence.”

“It wasn’t your fault, and the person who was at fault has been punished appropriately for it,” Harry said gently, “It could have happened to any of the champions, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Lacey nodded and said, “So why did you call this meeting Professor? I thought we discussed everything in the last one.”

“We did,” Harry said, “But I just wanted to do a final check, to make sure you were alright and that you didn’t have any more questions.”

“Will there be a trophy?”

“There will be, but you won’t get to touch it straight away after you finish the last task,” Harry said, “In the last tournament there was a problem with the trophy being used as a portkey, to stop that from happening again the rules have changed slightly.”

“What do you mean?”

“You will be judged on the final task with scores, just as you were in the first two,” Harry explained, “The champion with the highest score at the end of the task will be the winner of the tournament and then they will be presented with the Triwizard cup.”

“So how many points do I need to win?” Lacey asked, chewing her lip anxiously.

“Mr. Erickson will not be a problem,” Harry said, trying very hard not to smirk, “He has 59 points, even if he received the maximum 50 points for this task he would score 109 points, meaning you would need 24 points to win as you currently have 86 points.”

Harry continued, “Miss. Delacour has 72 points, if she received the maximum of 50 points, she would have 122 points. That would mean that you would need to score 37 points to win.”

Lacey frowned as she tried to work this out.

“So,” Harry finished, “You need an average score of 7.5 or above from each judge to win.”

“Right,” Lacey said, breathing a sigh of relief, “So I just need 7’s or 8’s from the judges? I might be able to do this…”

“I think you also get to go into the first task a few seconds ahead of the others because you’re in the lead,” Harry added thoughtfully, “Any other questions?”

Lacey shook her head, “No, thank you Professor.”

“The other reason I asked you here was because I saw that you applied for Auror training?” Harry said.

Lacey nodded, “Yes sir, I did.”

“I just wanted to suggest that you should ensure you have a back-up plan,” Harry said gently, “Not because I don’t think you will get in, I am positive that you will. But not everyone enjoys Auror training when they start, and sometimes things go wrong when you are an Auror so it is good to have another career in mind for that scenario.”

Lacey smiled at him, “Don’t worry sir, I do. I’d quite like to teach, if things go south.”

Harry smiled at her, “That sounds like a very good back-up plan.”

Lacey grinned and got to her feet, “Thanks for everything Professor. Potter,” she said, before leaving the office.

***

Harry had been telling himself for months that he would officially propose to Daphne after the final task. However, in the week leading up to the final task, Harry began to get cold feet. He assured himself for a day or so that this was normal when so close to such a big event. But as the week wore on, he started to get concerned about his concerns.

“Headmaster?”

Harry looked up blankly at Lilly, “What was that, sorry Lilly?”

Lilly raised an eyebrow at him, “Did you hear a word about my plans for the Ancient Runes classroom next year?”

Harry had to be honest, he was in a meeting with Lilly and he had completely zoned out, “Uh…something about turning it into a temple.”

“That was all you got?” She asked in disbelief, “Harry, I’ve been talking for 15 minutes!”

“I am so sorry,” Harry said honestly, “I just…I have something big on my mind and…I’m struggling to concentrate.”

Lilly smiled slightly, “Ah, so when are you proposing then?”

“What?”

“It’s obvious that the big thing is the fact you’re going to propose to Daphne,” Lilly said with a smile, “Which is cute, and understandable about the lack of concentration thing. So when is the big day?”

“After the final task,” Harry replied, “But the thing is Lilly, I was so sure I wanted to do it and now that it’s _this _week, I keep having second thoughts.”

“Cold feet,” Lilly chuckled, “Totally normal. I mean it’s pretty simple really, you just need to ask yourself why you want to marry Daphne?”

“Because I love her,” Harry replied instantly.

“Well love isn’t always enough you know,” Lilly said, “There are three ways love can go; good, bad or mediocre. What kind of love do you two have?”

Harry frowned at her, “Uh…how do I work that out exactly?”

“You don’t need to,” Lilly replied, “If she’s the one and you’re sure of it, there will be no doubt in your mind when the right moment comes along. You will just look at her and know, and then you will propose.”

“And if I still have doubts?”

“Then as much as you may love her, she isn’t the one,” Lilly said wisely.

Harry nodded slowly. Although it shouldn’t have made any sense whatsoever, somehow it made perfect sense to him.

***

On the eve of the final task, Harry finally had some time alone in his office while Daphne was teaching in the dungeons. He sat at his desk, looking down at the platinum engagement ring with a large diamond, the ring he intended to give to Daphne.

The biggest issue he faced was where to hide it? He had left it to the last minute to buy the ring, because the last thing he wanted was Daphne coming across it by mistake. As he sat behind his desk he looked around, trying to think of anywhere that could house a secret room or cubby-hole that he didn’t already know about.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Harry said to the portrait of the man on the wall, “Are there any hidden areas I don’t know about in this office?”

“Why of course Harry,” Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling, “It takes a lifetime to discover the secrets of this castle.”

“Can you tell me one?” Harry asked, smiling mischievously at the man’s portrait, “I can’t have Daphne finding her engagement ring lying around in here after all.”

Dumbledore smiled warmly at this and said, “On the bookshelf, there is a battered copy of ‘Hogwarts: A History’. If you remove it you will see a small notch which if pressed reveals a hidden hole behind the panel.”

“Thank you Albus,” Harry said, crossing the room to the bookshelf where indeed there was a notch behind the book. When the panel slid away Harry put the box with the ring inside it into the small hole and pushed it shut once more, putting the book back in its place.

When he got into bed with Daphne that night, Harry felt both exhilarated about the events of the day, and nervous about the task the following day. It would be constant from the moment he woke up; greeting the families, getting them to the stands wherever they may be, scoring the champions…

He was also nervous for Lacey. He knew she had the ability to win, but after the events of the second task, he was worried about her getting hurt too. He sighed and shut his eyes, drifting into an uneasy sleep.

***

When Harry and Daphne walked into the great hall the following morning, the air was buzzing with excitement. Everyone cheered when the champions walked in, Lacey got the biggest round of applause as she walked in arm in arm with Maisie. She gave everyone a brave smile but it was obvious that she was nervous from her pale pallor. She sat down at the Slytherin table and pushed her food around, glancing over occasionally at the Gryffindor table where Williamson sat.

Gabrielle was just as pale and anxious looking, but Agmund just looked fed up, and for the first time Harry did feel a little bit sorry for the guy. Harry couldn’t eat either, instead he pushed his cereal around his bowl and glanced at the clock as it ticked closer to 8am when the families of the champions would arrive.

At 10 to 8 Harry excused himself and took to pacing in the entrance hall until people arrived. He sighed in relief when the first family did, giving him something to take his mind off things. Gabrielle’s family arrived first, Harry had the advantage that he already knew her parents so he smiled at them and made small talk, leading them into a room off to one side where the champions were waiting. Not long after this Bill arrived, smiling at Harry and shaking his hand, “How you doing Harry?”

“Good, yeah,” Harry said with a nod, “I’m a bit nervous for it all to go to plan.”

“I still think it’s pretty tough, them chucking this at you in your first year as Headmaster,” Bill noted as Harry walked him into the room where the others were waiting.

“Well I suppose if I can do this I can handle anything else that Hogwarts throws at me,” Harry joked, “Did you decide not to bring the girls?”

“We didn’t know if it was going to be violent or not, so I left them with Mum just in case,” Bill said.

Harry nodded, “That’s probably for the best,” he agreed. Then he said goodbye to Bill and walked out into the entrance hall once more.

Agmund’s parents and girlfriend arrived, but none of them spoke very good English so Harry made a hasty job of leading them into the side-room, then he emerged into the entrance hall one last time just as Theo was making his way into it.

“Hey,” Theo said with an easy smile, “How’s my girl doing?”

“She’s nervous,” Harry said as they walked into the room and Lacey immediately caught her brother’s eye, “I’ve told her she doesn’t need to be, but a pep talk from you probably can’t hurt.”

Theo laughed and walked over to Lacey, leaving Harry to prop open the large front doors so that the students and staff could make their way outside. He craned his neck, trying to see what the task looked like, but he couldn’t see much apart from the large stands. After the students had gone the families of the champions made their way outside and then the champions themselves went towards the champion’s tent.

Harry really couldn’t see anything even as he got closer, but then he realised it was because the stands were on stilts, when he made his way up to the judges table in its own separate stand and looked down he got his first real glimpse of the task. It spanned almost the entire length of the grounds, starting with some sort of rings in the air over the lake, and then a clearing with suits of armour in it. There was blackness after that which Harry assumed was the dark labyrinth Hermione had mentioned. Then there was another clearing in the forest with a table of potions on it, and something else that looked like a plant of some kind. The final part of the task was a large duelling platform, but this was all blocked off with high walls so that nothing could be seen from the ground. Lacey would have no clue what she was walking into.

Jogging back down to the ground Harry ducked into the champion’s tent and asked Lacey, “Do you need a pep talk?”

“Already had one from my brother, but another can’t hurt,” Lacey joked weakly.

“You are great, and you are going to do fine, better than fine. I swear,” Harry said, placing a hand on her shoulder, “If I managed to win this tournament then I know you can.”

“Thanks Professor,” Lacey said with a genuine smile.

“Are we all ready?” Hermione asked.

The champions all nodded and gathered together in front of her.

“This task is an obstacle course which will test your awareness in all the core disciplines you learn at school,” Hermione explained to them, “You each have a separate course with the same obstacles, so you will not be bumping into each other in this task. Your score for this task will be added to your overall score and the champion with the highest score wins. Miss. Nott will enter 30 seconds before Miss. Delacour, and then Miss. Delacour will enter 20 seconds before Mr. Erickson, due to the rankings so far. You will be scored on your ability to remain calm under pressure, the time you take to complete the task, the accuracy and the power of your spell casting and your general knowledge of the obstacles you face. Are there any questions?”

All three champions shook their heads so Oliver led them out to get them into position while the rest of the judges made their way up to the judges table together.

When they were sitting down Harry looked at the path of the obstacle course once more. There were 3 identical paths directly beside each other, and in front of the lake the three champions were standing in position while Oliver explained something to them. Harry smiled when he saw the broomsticks glistening in the sunlight, the first part involved flying which would hopefully give Lacey a good lead.

Once more there were screens, one in front of the judges, and another in front of the audience. Oliver gave the champions their headbands and the moment the headbands were placed on their heads the screens came to life.

It was all going to be starting soon, Harry felt his heart pound as Oliver looked up to Hermione who gave him the thumbs up. He raised his wand and shot sparks of green from it. Then with a blow of his whistle the final task began.

It was fairly obvious that the first part of the task was flying, so each champion grabbed a broom and took to the air. There were 3 different coloured rings, light green for Agmund, dark green for Lacey and blue for Gabrielle. The goal was clearly to fly through them.

Lacey mounted the broom quickly and shot off from the ground, she had an advantage already because she was 30 seconds ahead of Gabrielle, and almost a minute ahead of Agmund. She also had an advantage in that she was a fantastic flier, almost as good as Harry had been in his youth.

“Good to see the Hogwarts girl is good on a broom,” Oliver commented as he took his seat in the judges stand.

Lacey easily passed through the first few ‘easy’ rings that were wide and fairly high above the water, and showed no problems skimming the water for the narrower, more difficult rings. By the time Gabrielle even mounted her broom Lacey was over halfway across the lake.

“She’s Slytherin’s seeker,” Harry said with a nod, “Although she wasn’t good enough last year. Gryffindor still won.”

Draco interjected, “That won’t be happening next year with me as Head of Slytherin Potter. I will knock that team into good shape.”

“Oh we will see about that Malfoy,” Harry said, shooting Hermione an amused look.

Hermione just chuckled and shook her head in amusement.

Gabrielle managed the easy rings a little shakily, but with a fair speed. However Agmund was getting on his broom as she entered the more difficult part of the course which slowed her down dramatically.

It turned out that Agmund was a pretty good flier as he overtook Gabrielle relatively quickly. Lacey however was still a good bit ahead, having already dismounted her broom over on the other side of the course.

Harry’s eyes were on Gabrielle as she missed a couple of rings, giving her a time penalty.

“Does she not fly Fleur?” Harry asked.

Fleur shook her head, “No, she does not like it.”

“Well,” Draco said as he leant back in his chair, “This is probably what Agmund is best at.”

Harry’s eyes flickered between the screens of the three competitors. Lacey was now in the second section of her obstacle course which involved fighting transfigured suits of armour.

“I recognise this,” Harry mumbled to Hermione.

Hermione whispered, “I drew on my dangerous experiences of being Harry Potter’s best friend.”

Harry chuckled, “This is basically your version of what we faced before Quirrell in first year. Isn’t it?”

“I couldn’t copy it _exactly_, but yes I did get the idea of incorporating different subjects from what we faced beyond the trapdoor in first year,” Hermione said in amusement.

“It’s a bit much when what we faced as 11 year old kids, is acceptable to use in a Triwizard Tournament which is deemed dangerous and therefore only open to those who are older than 17,” Harry said honestly.

Hermione nodded her agreement, “Well…yeah.”

“And do you know something? I still remember something you said to me back then…You told me that there were more important things in life than books and cleverness, like friendship and bravery.”

“You remember that?” Hermione asked.

“Oh yeah, that one stuck with me,” Harry said honestly.

Hermione smiled too, but they both kept their eyes on Lacey. Just as their conversation came to an end, they saw her get hit in the face by the shield of one of the suits of armour. There was a collective gasp from the audience as Lacey hissed in pain, and Harry leaned forward in his seat anxiously. 

Lacey pushed on despite the pain, backing further away from the suits, “How am I supposed to kill something that isn’t dead?” She was mumbling as she backed away further yet, “Oh bugger…I need to transfigure it into something else, don’t I?”

She shut her eyes very briefly to focus and then uttered the incantation, turning one of the two suits of armour into a motionless metal shield.

“Hah! It worked!” Lacey said with a grin, concentrating hard and doing the same to the next one.

The moment she had done this a door materialised in the wall. She used a localised numbing charm on her cheek then she moved onto the next section.

“When did Agmund get ahead of her?” Harry asked in surprise, noting that the Durmstrang champion was already in the next section having easily transfigured the suits of armour and passed through that section while Lacey had been struggling.

“He is national level good at Quidditch, and Transfiguration is his best subject,” Draco informed the others proudly, “I am glad that he pulled his finger out of his arse after the first task.”

Harry snorted in amusement at this comment. Then he let his eyes wander to Gabrielle briefly who was about 30 seconds behind Lacey and Agmund. There wasn’t much to see on Lacey or Agmund’s screens at the moment because they had both just entered the dark, dimly lit labyrinth which meant that everyone had to squint to see anything.

Gabrielle was midway through transfiguring the suits of armour, having already made the first one into a mouse. However she seemed to be struggling slightly with her transfiguration. She was capable of doing it, but it seemed like she had to concentrate a lot for it to work.

Fleur sighed slightly, “She should have paid more attention in my class.”

Harry realised that until that point, he hadn’t known what Fleur had actually taught at Beauxbatons, “Oh so you taught Transfiguration then Fleur?”

“Really Harry?” Hermione asked in exasperation, “How could you not know that?”

“I guess I’m just not that observant,” Harry admitted, to Fleur’s amusement.

They turned back to the task in slight amusement, Gabrielle had now joined the other two in the maze and was still only about 30 seconds behind them in the darkness.

Harry had been vaguely watching Lacey as she entered the maze. Her first two actions were to use lumos which lit up the dark walls and nothing else and then to mumble, “Point me.” Her wand had spun to show her which direction she should go in, and she had been set on her way.

Agmund had done the same thing and was currently walking on through the centre of the maze. Lacey kept to the sides, trying to follow the wall along instead of walk down the centre. It was essentially the maze that Harry had dealt with in his tournament, only darker and smaller. There were obstacles, as Harry noted when Lacey came up to a wall with a ledge at the top of it.

She frowned, clearly trying to work this out, “How the heck do I get up there?” she asked, as she looked at it for a moment, wracking her brain for a spell that would help. Then she got it, like a light bulb in her head had gone off. She used a sticking charm on her feet and walked up the wall, pulling herself onto the ledge and removing it.

She was now faced with a slide down into the next section of the labyrinth, “Wicked,” she said with a grin as she slid down it.

Harry chuckled, so far so good. Agmund was starting to struggle which was also a bonus, he had come across a mist which turned the maze upside down as he walked through it, similar to one Harry had seen when he had been in his maze. It disorientated him and he went in the wrong direction.

“Come on!” Draco exclaimed, letting his head fall onto the desk, “It all started so well!”

“There, there Draco,” Harry joked, patting him on the shoulder.

“Shut up Potter,” Draco said weakly.

“You don’t even sound like you mean that anymore,” Hermione chuckled.

Draco rolled his eyes in response.

Gabrielle had now overtaken Agmund. She was still a good 30 seconds behind Lacey, but about the same amount of time ahead of Agmund. She was making good progress through the maze, following the walls around as best she could, like Lacey had done. She came to the same dead end as Lacey had, and paused for a moment.

She got confused, turning around to see if there was another way out, but there wasn’t. She swore under her breath in French.

“Fleur, can we have a translation?” Harry asked in amusement.

Draco smiled slightly, “My French isn’t great, but I’m pretty sure she cursed the stupid bloody wall.”

Fleur nodded and shot the screen an exasperated look, “She did.”

As Gabrielle’s rant continued she suddenly stopped and hit herself in the head at the simplicity of the solution. Continuing to mutter in French, she cast a charm on her feet and walked up the wall, just as Lacey had, moving onto the next section of the maze.

After walking off in the complete wrong direction, Agmund had hit a couple of dead ends before reaching the wall that he needed to walk up. Once he got to this point, he got over it relatively quickly but he had lost valuable time. 

The next obstacle that Lacey came across made her jump back in surprise and fear, it was a large shrouded figure, so black against the darkness it could barely be seen. Lacey felt it first, she shivered and raised her wand expectantly as it emerged from the darkness.

“Hermione!” Harry hissed angrily, “You put a _dementor _in there?”

“Calm down Harry,” Hermione said in an undertone, “It’s not real, I wouldn’t put a blatantly dangerous creature in there, I’m not Susan.”

Harry frowned at this, “Sorry,” he mumbled as he looked back to Lacey who was just conjuring a patronus, he didn’t think he had ever actually seen her patronus, come to think of it.

“Expecto Patronum!”

Harry couldn’t quite believe it when an antelope sprang out from her wand and charged at the fake dementor.

“Are you sure you don’t have any illegitimate children?” Hermione joked under her breath.

“I’m sure,” Harry remarked with slight amusement, “She’s far too old to be my daughter.”

“But she is scarily like you at times,” Hermione said.

Harry couldn’t disagree with that.

Lacey was now moving away from the dementor, and Gabrielle was just reaching it. She shrieked so loudly it caused half of the audience to cover their ears.

“Ouch,” Oliver said, covering his ears.

“She might have more progress if she screamed less and used a patronus charm,” Fleur muttered irritably.

Just as Fleur said this, Gabrielle finally stopped screaming and cast a patronus charm.

“Have Veela got a telepathic link or something?” Harry asked with slight amusement.

Fleur only chuckled as Gabrielle’s charm which was essentially a mist pushed the dementor back far enough for her to rush past it. It was feeble, compared to Lacey’s fully corporal patronus which Harry was very proud of.

Agmund caught up and ran into the dementor. He actually managed to use a patronus charm against it. It was a weak one like Gabrielle’s, but he managed all the same.

“How are they not real?” Fleur asked curiously.

“They are boggarts,” Hermione replied, “Forced into the shape of a dementor.”

“Wow Hermione, wherever did you get that idea from?” Harry asked sarcastically.

Hermione told Harry to shut up, and he just laughed. They all glanced to the task once more as Agmund walked on by the dementor. Lacey and Gabrielle emerged from the darkness back out into the bright sunshine seconds apart. Lacey blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the difference in light, and then she looked around herself.

“Again Hermione, this looks familiar,” Harry mumbled as Lacey walked over to a table that was laid out with 10 bottles containing potions, they were different shapes, sizes and colours.

“It was a good riddle, kudos to Professor Snape,” Hermione said simply.

Agmund joined them in the sunshine, but he was about a minute behind.

Lacey had walked over to the table with the potions on it and was now sitting on the grass reading through the riddle, trying to figure out what to do next. She kept mumbling it out loud, going over it again and again.

“There are 10 bottles containing potion on the table before you. 2 will allow you to pass to the next section, 2 will render you unconscious. The remaining 6 are harmless. To find what you need to continue to the next section you must find a bottle that is shaped the same as others on the table. You will not find a bottle that allows you to pass next to one that renders you unconscious. The two that render you unconscious are shaped unlike any other. The potion you need is situated between two bottles.”

Lacey stood up, looking at the table once more, “So these two are the ones that knock you out,” she muttered, pointing to the two that were the only ones in that shape, a pentagon and a hexagon, “So it can’t be these ones, because they’re on either side of the bad potion.”

Lacey frowned, looking down at the riddle once more, “And it can’t be these two because they aren’t in-between two bottles,” she mused as she looked at the two bottles on the end of the table. Already, through process of elimination she had narrowed it down to 4.

Gabrielle was in the clearing too now, and she was catching up very quickly as she studied the riddle and the potions on the table.

“Gabby loves riddles,” Fleur said with a smile as Gabrielle got to work eliminating the potions.

Agmund seemed to be struggling more with the riddle, but then again, he had struggled with the centaurs riddle in the first task.

Draco sighed, “He’s going to be there for a while,” he muttered.

Meanwhile Lacey was still mumbling to herself, “None other in this shape…well that means the rectangle is out.”

This left a circular bottle and 2 square ones.

“Right, well two will let me pass and one is harmless so I’ll take my chances,” She said as she grabbed the circular bottle and drank the potion in it. She looked around and grinned as a door appeared.

She and Gabrielle entered the next section seconds apart while Agmund frowned at the bottles of potion, “It’s so close,” Harry said as he watched the action unfold.

“It’s almost stressful to watch,” Fleur agreed.

“You think it’s stressful?” Draco asked in disbelief, “Have you seen how slowly my champion is with this section?” He gestured to Agmund who had figured out which potions would knock him out and was knocking back all of the others until he found one that let him pass.

“Hey it worked, don’t knock it,” Oliver said as Agmund made his way into the next section, “He got through it faster than the other two did.”

“By chance Oliver, not by skill or logic,” Hermione pointed out.

They turned to the task once more. The section they had just done was obviously Potions related, and now they were in an environment that was clearly meant to test their skills in Herbology. Lacey and Gabrielle were neck and neck, with Agmund a good couple of minutes behind them, as they made their way up a thin avenue, avoiding plants such as the venomous tentacula and a venus fly trap the size of a bear that ate humans, instead of flies.

Lacey made her way through this avenue fine, but Gabrielle ran into trouble with the fly trap which tried to eat her and gave her a pretty nasty, oozing cut on her arm. The crowd gasped, this was the only injury to draw blood so far.

Not long after, Agmund was grabbed by a venomous tentacula which was now trying to strangle him. Draco’s head dropped heavily onto the table and Fleur patted him on the back sympathetically.

“Tough luck baby” Hermione whispered.

“He was doing _so well _for one task Hermione,” Draco despaired.

“I know,” Hermione said as sympathetically as she could manage.

A yelp from the screen caught Harry’s attention and he realised that Lacey had been caught by a devils snare which was slowly pulling her down.

“Wh…what?” Lacey was panicking, but she still had her wand, “Oh, oh no, devils snare, I need to be still,” she kept as still as possible but it kept pulling her down.

“Fire!” Lacey realised as she got pulled in to her stomach, “It’s scared of fire! But…there isn’t any wood!”

He couldn’t help it, at the judges table Harry burst out with laughter.

Hermione glared at him, “Shut up Harry, that was years ago!”

“There’s no wood!” Harry choked through his laughter, “Is she a witch or not?”

At this point, Lacey realised that she had a wand and used Incendio on the plant, pulling herself free.

“There’s no wood,” Lacey muttered to herself, shaking her head, “Talk about not reacting well under pressure…”

“See!” Hermione exclaimed in her defence, “It’s hard to think straight under pressure, and I was 12 years old at the time! You didn’t even know what devils snare was!”

“Do you have any idea what those two are talking about?” Draco asked Fleur.

Fleur shook her head and said, “None at all.”

“First year, we ended up stopping Voldemort who was hiding in the back of Quirrell’s turban,” Harry explained quickly, “Long story short, he wanted something, we stopped him from getting it but to do that we had to face a dangerous obstacle course. One of the obstacles was devils snare and Hermione panicked about not having wood, kind of forgetting she was a witch.”

“And you and Ron have never let me live it down,” Hermione added, glaring at Harry.

“Well…it is rather amusing,” Draco smirked.

Hermione glared at him, “Don’t you start too,” she said in a warning tone.

Draco knew Hermione well enough to know that shutting up was definitely the best course of action. They all looked back to the screens to see how the champions were getting on.

Gabrielle had lost some precious time thanks to the incident with the fly trap, but she had stopped the bleeding and gotten past the devils snare with no problems and entered the final section of the obstacle course only 30 or 40 seconds behind Lacey.

Agmund had managed to get free from the venomous tentacula, he was a bit blue and out of breath but he had managed it, and he had gotten through the section with no further problems. However he was still 2 minutes behind Lacey and about a minute and a half behind Gabrielle so he stood no chance of coming second unless either of them messed up in the final aspect of the obstacle course.

It was Defence against the Dark Arts that they were finishing off on, that much was clear from the large duelling platform set in the middle of the clearing.

“Saved the best till last?” Draco whispered to Hermione.

“I thought it would be a good finale,” Hermione whispered suggestively.

Harry made a face having overheard the interaction. Luckily, he didn’t have much time to contemplate this as he looked to the screens of Lacey and Gabrielle as they both took to the duelling platform, waiting for their opponent to arrive. As if a disillusionment charm had just been cancelled, a person appeared at the end of each podium, it was no one in particular just two women dressed in black robes that hid the rest of their body and shrouded their faces in shadows.

The duels started right away, and it was as fast-paced and intensive as Harry had expected, but the spells weren’t too dangerous thankfully. Harry’s eyes were focused on Lacey as she bounced between putting up shield charms to deflect spells back at her opponent and actively sending them that way herself.

He was distracted by a scream from below. Gabrielle had been injured in her duel, with a spell that had slashed her leg, she had fallen down, effectively losing the duel meaning she would have to start again.

Lacey was doing well, still on the same duel while Gabrielle was on her second attempt to beat her opponent. Agmund was duelling now too, and it was a frantic race to the finish, although they didn’t know that because they couldn’t see each other with the big walls separating the obstacle courses.

Harry was leaning right forward in his seat watching the intense duel between Lacey and her opponent heat up.

“Incendio!”

“Confringo!”

“Rictumsempra!”

“Expelliarmus!”

The wand of Lacey’s opponent was yanked from her hand, flying across the duelling platform. There was silence for a moment as Lacey looked around and then the doorway out of the obstacle course opened up.

She had finished first, which meant that the judges had to give her a minimum score of 6 points. Which meant that unless Gabrielle scored exceptionally well, Lacey was going to win this.

“Merlin Potter, she really is your apprentice,” Draco joked.

“Well, I am her Defence against the Dark Arts teacher you know,” Harry said with a proud smile.

“And you clearly taught her well,” Draco said, there was genuine respect in his voice, “Only you could defeat the darkest wizard of our time with a bloody second year spell, Potter.”

“Thank you Draco, I consider that a compliment,” Harry smiled.

“It was meant that way,” Draco said honestly.

“You might want to watch the rest of the task, you still have to score Gabrielle and Agmund,” Hermione reminded Harry with a nudge.

Turning to the task once more Harry saw Gabrielle finish the duel and make her way sluggishly towards the first aid tent.

Only Agmund was left on the duelling platform. He was doing okay, but his spell-casting wasn’t very accurate, it was powerful when it did hit its target but it was all very hit and miss. Draco sighed, whether it was with relief or exasperation the others didn’t know, as Agmund won the duel and walked off to the first aid tent.

It was over; the task, the tournament. All that remained was the scoring, and Harry felt a tiny flutter of hope and excitement when he realised how close Lacey was to winning this thing.


	24. The Triwizard Champion

The wait seemed to take forever. It took half an hour to deliberate on the scores, and there wasn’t any arguing which was nice. They discussed the timings of the champions first of all.

“So what were the champions times then Hermione?” Harry asked, his quill poised over his notepad.

“Lacey finished first in 1 hour and 9 minutes,” Hermione said, “Gabrielle finished second in 1 hour and 23 minutes…and Agmund finished third in 1 hour and 27 minutes.”

With the times now known the judges began to deliberate. After 15 minutes all the judges had their final scores ready which meant the next 15 minutes were spent waiting around. They had discussed ideas, and they had all written their scores down so they couldn’t be changed. However they wouldn’t know who the winner was until the final judge, which was Draco, had given his scores.

“I’m so nervous,” Harry mumbled as the champions eventually came out from the tent, Gabrielle with a slight limp, but Agmund and Lacey otherwise fine. Agmund’s throat was slightly bruised from his run in with the venomous tentacula and Lacey had a slight black eye from where the suit of armour had hit her.

“Think how they must feel, if you are nervous,” Hermione said gently as the three champions made their way up the stairs of the stand the judges were situated at.

Harry smiled slightly and said, “True.”

The champions reached the top of the stairs and stood before the judging panel. As usual every judge put a sonorus charm on themselves for the giving of the scores, and Hermione stood up to start things off.

Harry shot Lacey a wink and mouthed “Well done”. She brightened up a little at this.

“As usual we shall give the scores in alphabetical order,” Hermione said, “So we start with Miss. Gabrielle Delacour.”

Gabrielle looked expectantly at her sister who began the scoring as usual, “I award Miss. Delacour 7 points. I feel she made good progress throughout the task overall with an acceptable completion time, and her solving of the potions riddle was excellent. I also felt that she made good time in the dark maze. However I deduct points for the fact she missed some rings in the flying obstacle, and also for the fact she received two serious injuries.”

Gabrielle gave her sister a nod as Hermione got to her feet, “I award Miss. Delacour 8 points. I agree that she did remarkably well in the Transfiguration, Charms and Potions aspects of the task, and that her overall time was more than acceptable. However she did not deal with the Herbology or the Defence against the Dark Arts sectors very well. I sympathise with the flying aspect being someone who is also not a good flier, but I deduct two points for the two injuries sustained in the aforementioned sectors.”

Gabrielle smiled and gave Hermione a nod. Harry got to his feet next, “I award Miss. Delacour 8 points also. As my fellow judges have-”

He cut himself off and frowned when the air suddenly seemed to get unexplainably colder. He looked over at his fellow judges, Draco shivered and Harry could tell that Hermione had felt the sudden shift too.

“Hermione, you said-”

“I forced the boggarts into form myself,” Hermione said quickly, “Harry there is no way they are real dementors, it isn’t possible.”

Harry looked around the grounds and saw one, heading straight for the stand full of first year students, the most vulnerable and therefore the easiest pray

“They are real,” Harry said darkly as he raced down the judges stand and across the grounds. One dementor was easy to handle, especially for someone trained as highly as he was.

“Expecto Patronum!”

His stag patronus bounded across the grass and chased the dementor away from the students. Then it charged at it, and hit it square on, causing it to disintegrate into nothing. Once it was gone, the cold air should have shifted but it didn’t, if anything, it was worse.

He was about to turn around to look for more when he heard it, “Harry!” his Mothers high pitched scream filled his ears and he struggled to block it out.

Then an otter bounced across his path and the air shifted once more. The coldness and the cloud that had come over, lifted and the sun came out again.

Harry turned around, ready to thank Hermione but he frowned when he saw Draco standing behind him.

“The other one was right behind you,” Draco said by way of explanation.

“Your patronus is an otter,” Harry said in surprise.

“Yes, it changed recently for some reason,” Draco admitted, “I have no idea why, it was a snake before that.”

Harry smiled slightly, “I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to give the scores then work out how the hell those dementors got into the grounds.”

Draco nodded and they made their way back up to the judges stands, “Hermione, weren’t there three boggarts in there?”

Hermione nodded.

“So why only two dementors then?” Draco asked, understanding where Harry was going with that.

“Because dementors are hard to transport, two is manageable with the right skill but three wouldn’t be,” Hermione whispered, “I didn’t do this Harry, but whoever did, wanted to prove a point.”

“We will discuss it later,” Harry said, a note of finality to his voice. He stood and said, “We apologise for the incident that just occurred in the grounds. Rest assured, it will be investigated as soon as the scores have been given and the winner of the tournament revealed. Thankfully, nobody was injured as a result of this incident.”

There was some murmuring then Hermione announced that they would recommence the scoring.

Harry stood again, “As I was saying, I award Miss. Delacour 8 points. She did well in most sectors of the task, and made quick work on the Potions challenge. I also feel that she excelled in the Charms based labyrinth. I deduct two points for the two injuries sustained, but would like to congratulate her for going out with a bang.”

Gabrielle smiled at this and gave Harry a polite nod, as he sat down Oliver stood up and Harry found himself wondering whether Oliver would be a harsh judge or a nice judge, Susan had been a little bit too nice on everyone.

“I award Miss. Delacour 6 points,” Oliver began, answering Harry’s question, “I do agree that her progress and overall time was good, but she missed 3 rings in the flying challenge and there only were 6 to pass through. She also allowed herself to get caught by a venus fly trap which could have easily been avoided had she paid better attention. She was also the only champion who was knocked out of a duel and had to take a second attempt.”

Gabrielle gave a subdued nod and swallowed as Draco stood to give his score.

“I award Miss. Delacour 7 points,” Draco said neutrally, “I agree with my fellow judges that she did finish the task with a good time, and with good general progress. As the judges have said I feel points should be deducted for the flying mishap, and the injury sustained from the venus fly trap. I agree that the injury she received in the duel could have been avoided and furthermore support Mr. Wood in that she was the only champion to take a second try to complete the duel. Finally it should also be noted that when faced by what she believed to be a dementor she panicked before using the Patronus charm.”

Gabrielle nodded as Draco sat down, Hermione smiled slightly as she got to her feet and said, “We award Miss. Delacour a total of 36 points.”

“Thank you,” Gabrielle said.

“We will now give the scores for Mr. Agmund Erickson,” Hermione said, sitting down and letting Fleur stand to give her initial score, “I award Mr. Erickson 8 points. I feel this was his best task yet, and that he excelled and showed us how much talent he does in fact have. His flying skills and Transfiguration skills impressed me. However I deducted marks because of the injury he sustained from the Venomous tentacula and his reckless approach to the potions challenge.”

Agmund nodded, looking pretty happy with that score as Fleur took her seat.

“I award Mr. Erickson 7 points,” Hermione said as she got to her feet, “I also agree this was his best task yet. I was impressed by his flying, Transfiguration and duelling skills, he dealt with all three of these situations quickly and with relative ease. I deduct points for the fact he didn’t use skill or logic in the potions task, he just drank and hoped for the best, and also for the injury he sustained in the Herbology sector, and the fact he finished in last place.”

Again Agmund gave a polite nod, happy with the score.

“I award Mr. Erickson 8 points,” Harry said as he got to his feet, “Like my other judges I feel he has vastly improved since the first task. I was impressed with his duelling technique, and his ease in the flying aspect of the task. His Transfiguration was fast and immaculate, my reason for deducting points were due to his injury and the fact he finished last.”

Another polite nod as Harry sat down, and Oliver stood up.

“I award Mr. Erickson 6 points,” Oliver said, and Agmund’s face got a little red but he kept his mouth shut, he had definitely learned his lesson, “I feel he _did _do well in some aspects of the task, but frankly he finished last with the slowest time, and he allowed himself to come close to strangulation from a plant that is in theory easy to control.”

Agmund gave Oliver a brisk, angry nod.

Draco stood and gave his champion his final score, “I award Mr. Erickson 7 points. I am impressed by his progress and I am happy to see how much he has come on since the first task. He did have the slowest time, but he was not far behind the champion who came second in this respect. I was impressed with most aspects of his progress, he dealt with the rest of the Herbology sector well, despite his unfortunate run in with the venomous tentacula. I deduct points due to the injury he received from that plant and because I was not impressed with the rash, foolish way he dealt with the potions challenge. However, overall he impressed me.”

Agmund gave Draco a small nod, a slight smile on his face at the fact his Headmaster had something nice to say to him.

“We award Mr. Erickson a total of 36 points,” Hermione said, “Finally, we will give the scores for Miss. Lacey Nott.”

Lacey looked at the judges. This was it, the moment of truth.

Hermione sat down and Fleur stood up, “I award Miss. Nott 8 points,” she said, “I think overall she did a fantastic job and finished first with a remarkable time. Her flying was fantastic, and her Transfiguration acceptable. Her handling of the maze was clever. However I deduct a point for the injury she sustained. I deduct another point for the fact she got caught in devils snare and for initially forgetting to use her wand.”

Lacey nodded weakly, and Hermione then stood up.

“I award Miss. Nott 8 points,” She said, “I agree that she excelled in the Flying, Charms and Defence against the Dark Arts sectors, and that she had a fantastic overall time. I also think her time was perfect for the potions challenge. I deduct two points for the injury she sustained from the Transfiguration sector, and for the fact she cracked under pressure when caught by the devils snare,” she ignored Harry and Draco, she could practically _feel _their smirks, “Overall I think Miss. Nott did an absolutely excellent job on this task.”

Lacey smiled at Hermione as Harry stood up, “I agree and award Miss. Nott 8 points. In my opinion she excelled in all aspects of the task, apart from perhaps the Herbology sector. Despite the injury she received in the Transfiguration sector she still did an excellent job of the Transfiguration itself. Her work through the maze was both fast and powerful, she managed a fully corporal patronus, something no other champion did. Her duelling technique was smooth and clean cut, like that of a professional which I feel needs more credit than it has gotten so far. I deduct my marks for the mishap with the devils snare and the injury she received.”

Lacey nodded once more, paling a little as Oliver got to his feet, he had been pretty harsh so far, “I award Miss. Nott 7 points. I agree with everything my fellow judges have said, she excelled in many aspects of the task, and I was particularly impressed with her flying skills and duelling technique. However she did sustain an injury that could have been avoided had she transfigured the suits of armour sooner, she also got caught by devils snare which could have been avoided had she been paying better attention, then she proceeded to get stuck in it by buckling under pressure. Her time however was good, and overall I was impressed by the magical ability she possesses for her age.”

Another weak nod, and then Lacey’s eyes fell on her Godfather as he got to his feet.

“I award Miss. Nott 8 points,” Draco said, surprising both Lacey and the rest of the judging panel, “I feel she did a fantastic job, finished with an excellent time, and excelled in almost every sector. For the most part she kept a cool head under pressure, and I deduct my points only for her injury and lack of judgement with the devils snare. However, I feel overall her performance was almost perfect.”

Lacey grinned proudly at this and then Hermione stood up to finalise it, she was holding the trophy, and Harry’s heart was pounding.

“We award Miss. Nott with a total of 39 points,” She began, “Which means that our overall scores are…”

There was an intake of breath from everyone, students, staff and judges all included.

“In third place with a total of 95 points, is Mr. Agmund Erickson of Durmstrang Institute!”

Agmund gave a dignified bow as people clapped, it died down and Hermione continued, “In second place with a total of 108 points is Miss. Gabrielle Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.”

Everyone knew what that meant.

“Which means our winner, with an amazing 125 points, is our very own Miss. Lacey Nott of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!” Hermione announced, and then it happened, it was like an explosion.

Hermione handed Lacey the trophy from behind the judges table, and the crowd roared and cheered, the sound of clapping filled the stands and Harry was ecstatic.

“She did it!” Harry said, jumping up from his chair in excitement.

Lacey was grinning, Theo was cheering and hugging her. It was a very happy occasion.

“Congratulations Lacey,” Harry said, shaking her hand and beaming at her, “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks sir,” Lacey beamed.

Theo grinned and put his arm around her shoulder, “Way to finish your schooling with a bang sis.”

He knew there was going to have to be a serious conversation later, but for now he enjoyed the moment. His champion had won, during his first year as Headmaster, he had managed to get through this year after all.

The students all began to move like a swarm to the great hall where the big after party would take place, and as Lacey was dragged away by her brother, the rest of the students followed them.

“Stay here,” Harry said to everyone at the judging table.

They all knew why, so nobody questioned him. As the grounds emptied, Harry turned to his fellow judges and asked, “How did that dementor get into my grounds?”

“I am telling you Harry, I sourced the boggarts myself, I spent two days forcing them into form then locking them into their trunks. I then transported them here late last night and only unlocked the trunks at the start of the task this morning,” Hermione replied, “There is only one way that dementor could have got here, and that is if someone switched the boggarts for real dementors once they were already in the grounds of Hogwarts.”

“Which means somebody with inside access had to do it,” Oliver said.

“And I hate to say this, but there are very few people who know enough about dark magical creatures to be able to transport them safely,” Hermione said, her eyes flicking between Harry and Draco.

“You can’t be serious,” Fleur said in disbelief.

“I don’t want to be,” Hermione said, “I’m dating one of you and the other one is my best friend, but if-”

“No,” Draco said coolly, “You do not get to accuse _us, _regardless of whatever excuses you have Hermione. What do I have to gain from that? What does Harry have to gain from it? Do you really think so lowly of us that you believe we would endanger children just to give our champions an edge?”

“Not, but have either of you had any issues with blacking out-”

“I can fight the imperius curse Hermione,” Harry said darkly, “You have seen me do it. This had nothing to do with me.”

“Or me,” Draco said coolly, “I can also fight the imperius curse. Now Hermione, if you are done accusing us, would you like to think about this logically? Who has both the skill to transport these creatures and the bitterness to want to do this?”

Hermione frowned then realisation dawned, “The former head of the Spirit Division in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”

“Who _you _sacked not too long ago, Harry,” Draco added.

“Ernie,” Harry said darkly, “How the hell did he get into my castle? The wards shouldn’t have let him in.”

“The wards had to be relaxed for this task, remember?” Hermione said, “In order to let the families and friends in to watch the final task.”

“Bugger,” Harry cursed under his breath.

“Look, we need to find proof that Ernie did this, fast,” Hermione said, “Because first thing on Monday morning, I’m going to be pulled up by the review board. The same review board that decided Susan’s case had to go to a tribunal, and if they have any reasonable doubt that Ernie didn’t do this, I’ll end up in this same sticky situation that she did.”

“I set up surveillance charms,” Harry admitted, “In case anything went wrong with the task. They are just generically on the grounds, so they can’t prove much more than the fact he was here but it’s something, right?”

“And there is a way of finding out if someone tampered magically with the trunks containing the boggarts,” Draco added.

“Would it also make sense to check if the spirit division are missing any dementors? Ernie would know where they were held, wouldn’t he?” Draco asked.

Hermione nodded, “Thank you, for helping me out with this and…I’m sorry for panicking and accusing you.”

“I forgive you, it’s kind of your go-to coping mechanism,” Harry shrugged as he, Hermione and Draco began to walk up to the castle together.

“He has a point,” Draco agreed.

Hermione just rolled her eyes, “On another note, since when is your patronus an otter Draco?”

“It changed a few months ago, why is everyone so intrigued by that?” Draco asked with a frown.

“Because of – expecto patronum! – that,” Hermione said, as _her _otter patronus bounded across the grounds towards the forest.

Draco’s eyes widened.

“Guess that explains why you were so eager to stay here,” Harry chuckled.

“What do you mean?” Draco asked.

“You know, the patronus change is significant, don’t you?”

“No…”

“Don’t you teach your N.E.W.T level students about patronus magic?” Harry asked in surprise.

“No Potter. Surprisingly enough, as dementors are native to Britain, it isn’t deemed necessary to put it on the curriculum at Durmstrang,” Draco said sarcastically.

“Dementors are native to Britain?” Harry asked in surprise.

Hermione bit back her laughter, “Yes Harry, now shouldn’t the person who has taught Defence against the Dark Arts for the past four years know that?”

“Probably,” Harry admitted sheepishly, “But either way Draco, you had better brush up on patronus magic for next term because it is on the curriculum here.”

“And summed up, someone’s patronus can change form if they go through a significant change in their life,” Hermione began to explain.

“Or if they fall deeply in love,” Harry added.

Draco’s cheeks flushed slightly, “I see.”

“Either way Draco,” Harry said, smiling at the blonde man, “Thank you for having my back out there.”

“You are welcome Harry.”

Hermione chuckled and shook her head, “On the list of ‘sentences I never thought I would hear between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy’ that one has to be at the top,” she joked as they walked into the great hall together.

The party was in full swing, and so it should be, because Hogwarts’s champion had done it. Lacey Nott was the latest winner of the Triwizard Tournament.

***

“So Draco is madly in love with Hermione,” Harry told Daphne that night while they lay in bed together and unwound after the busy day.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Daphne joked.

Harry laughed, “Oh but it’s official now. His patronus changed to an otter, exactly the same as Hermione’s.”

“That’s a sure fire sign he’s hooked on her,” Daphne agreed.

“I am going to have to give him a crash course in soul magic, patronus magic in particular,” Harry mused, “They don’t teach that at Durmstrang.”

“Well dementors are native to Britain so I can’t imagine that they would use it much,” Daphne reasoned, “But I’m still surprised that Draco didn’t remember learning about it at school here. I suppose he was a bit preoccupied during our N.E.W.T years though…”

Harry hummed thoughtfully, “Has your patronus ever changed?”

“No,” Daphne mused, glancing over at him with a grin, “Guess that means I don’t love you that much.”

Harry laughed, “It’s not always a sure fire thing. What is your patronus anyway? Something cute and fluffy?”

Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, “Do I look like a cute and fluffy person to you? Expecto patronum!”

Harry’s jaw dropped when he saw the graceful doe prance out of her wand and dart around the room before escaping through the window.

“Daphne…you do know what….that…you know what that means?”

“Oh I know that patronus magic is linked with soul mates, being a branch of soul magic and all,” Daphne said with a soft smile, “And I know that your patronus is a stag.”

Harry stared at her in disbelief, “And how long have you known that for?”

“Oh since I learned to do that charm about 3 years ago,” Daphne replied matter of factly.

“And you never said anything?”

“What good would it have done?” Daphne asked, “You had to come out of that funk of yours on your own, or else we never would have stood a chance.”

Harry was completely gobsmacked by this earth shattering revelation and that was the moment. The moment that Lilly had talked about, the moment where he would just look at her or she would just say something and he would know that this was _it_, that she was _it_, the person he wanted to spend his life with.

He got out of bed, much to her confusion and ran down to his office, “Harry, what are you doing?”

When he jogged back up the stairs, she was standing there in her dressing gown. So he hadn’t expected to propose to her in his underwear, but hey, the timing was otherwise perfect.

Her eyes widened when he dropped down on one knee, “I wasn’t planning on doing this in my underwear in the middle of the night but your best friend said that there comes a moment when you know that the person you are with is the one, and you just _know _you want to spend your life with them and when you said what you did just then…that was that moment for me,” Harry began.

“So Daphne, I have been an idiot for far too long, I couldn’t see what was right in front of me and Merlin knows, I wasted so much time,” Harry said, “But I don’t want to waste anymore time so do you think you think this school can handle having two Professor Potters?”

Daphne let a grin slip onto her face, “You’re an idiot, but I love you.”

“Is that a yes?”

“That’s a yes,” Daphne laughed.

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief and slipped the ring on her finger then he lifted her up and kissed her like he had never kissed her before.

He had a feeling, as they fell back into bed together, that it might take a good few coffees before he was capable of using his brain the following morning…

***

The following morning, Draco and Hermione stepped into Harry’s office to come up with a plan to deal with Ernie.

“Morning,” Harry yawned when he saw the couple.

Hermione smiled weakly, “Morning.”

“So what are we going to-”

“Daphne,” Draco interrupted, he raised an eyebrow at the blonde girl, “What is that on your finger?”

“That would be an engagement ring Draco,” Daphne replied dryly, “I am aware you have never seen one because you tend to run away from marriage contracts rather than fulfil them, but have a good look if you want.”

Draco rolled his eyes, “I thought we were well past?”

“We are, but I still like to remind you of it every so often,” Daphne smirked.

Hermione’s eyes widened, “Woah, when did you get two engaged?”

“Last night, after the task,” Harry replied.

“Harry!” Hermione exclaimed, “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to propose? I’m your best friend!”

“Well you were kind of busy,” Harry said, “You know with the tournament and your new found lover.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “Really? Did you tell anyone?”

“Yes, I told Neville and Lilly,” Harry said, “Oh and Draco.”

“And you never told me either?” Hermione asked Draco.

“Sorry,” Draco said, raising an eyebrow at her, “I never realised that you had to know all of his business all of the time.”

“Well,” Hermione huffed, “I would have liked to have known that my best friend was thinking of settling down _eventually_, after being a dick for the last few years.”

Daphne snorted.

Harry turned to his fiancé, “Are you on her side here?”

“Well you were a dick for a few years,” Daphne reasoned.

Draco smirked at this, “I think you are outnumbered here Harry.”

“Apparently so,” Harry said, he shook his head, “So what are doing about Ernie? Are we going to try and prove he did it with the surveillance charms or are we going for a more direct approach to save Hermione’s job before the board pull her up tomorrow morning?”

“Leave it to me,” Draco said, with a slightly dangerous smirk.

“Draco…” Hermione said tentatively, “Are you going to hurt him?”

“Not _physically_,” Draco said, smirking a little wickedly.

“Not physically?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, “What are you going to do to him exactly?”

“Let’s just say that I am a very skilled Legilimens, but I might _accidentally _put some bad thoughts and memories into his head while I’m trying to extract the one that I need,” Draco said slyly.

“Okay, as wicked an idea as that is, it’s also a good one,” Harry said, “_But_, I’m coming with you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter Potter,” Draco said with a roll of his eyes.

“I know, but you do have a suspect reputation in this country as it is,” Harry pointed, “So me being there can only be a good thing.”

Hermione looked between the two of them, “He’s going to wet himself when you two show up on his doorstep.”

Harry grinned, “God, I hope he does.”

***

“He wet himself Hermione! He actually wet himself!”

Hermione bit back a grin, “Harry, you are far too happy about that.”

“Draco stood over him and called him pathetic while I had him immobilised and he actually pissed himself,” Harry practically cackled, “God, I hate that guy so much.”

“I can’t believe you dated him Hermione,” Daphne said, shaking her head.

“Neither can I,” Hermione admitted.

“Your standards have improved vastly since then,” Draco said, shooting her a smirk.

Hermione laughed, “So I’m guessing you got the memories that you needed?”

“Yes,” Draco said, slipping them into her hands, “And I may or may not have made him think he had sex with a horse.”

Daphne snorted in amusement and Hermione burst out laughing, despite the fact what Draco had done was very morally wrong.

“Alright,” Hermione said, once her laughter had subsided, “I’m taking this to the ministry now, before I can get pulled up tomorrow morning. It’s always better to pre-empt the situation with politics.”

“I’ll walk you to the gate,” Draco said, putting his arm around her waist.

“Come back for the end of term feast tonight,” Harry called after them.

“We will,” Hermione assured Harry as they left the office.

“Why do they need to be back for the end of term feast?” Daphne asked curiously.

“Because I wouldn’t want them to miss our announcement,” Harry grinned, “We can go public now, assuming you want to.”

“Of course I want to,” Daphne said, meeting his eyes.

Harry smiled broadly, “And the first people I want to know are the students and staff of Hogwarts. From there it can filter out into the world until we eventually have to give the press a statement.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Daphne said, kissing him lightly, “But I think I’ll leave the talking up to you.”

Harry chuckled, “Deal,” he said, kissing her back.

***

The end of term feast was a much happier one than usual. It was always a sad occasion in a way because an entire year group would be leaving them, and when you spent so much time watching these kids grow up and investing your time and knowledge in them, that was hard. It was the hardest part of being a teacher for Harry.

But this year, everyone was on cloud number nine after Lacey’s victory the previous day. When Harry stood up to give his end of year speech, he had to call for silence several times before the hall quietened down.

“Well, another year has come to an end, and it has been a very special year for me because I got to share it with you as your Headmaster for the first time,” Harry said, smiling out at the students, “As always, this day is bittersweet because several of you will not be returning to this school and I speak for myself and the rest of the staff when I say that those of you will be sorely missed.

This year has had its up and downs, but we have hosted the Triwizard Tournament successfully. Several of you have made new friends that I hope you will stay in touch with. You have expanded your horizons,” he couldn’t help looking at Draco and Hermione there, “And you have experienced different cultures. That is what this tournament is all about, not about winning or losing, but learning to respect and love those with beliefs and opinions different than your own.

Lacey Nott, our very own Hogwarts girl, has made us all very proud this year and she will go on to become a successful Auror, I am sure,” Harry smiled out at Lacey who was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Williamson much to his amusement, “She will remain in our trophy room forever more, destined to be dusted by some first years who have been caught sneaking around the forbidden forest,” this got a laugh from everyone, Lacey included.

“Now, I have to add, that Professor Greengrass and I have been in a relationship for the majority of the school year,” Harry said, to whispers from the students, “We have been trying very hard to keep it a secret, so naturally the whole school knows,” this elicited much laughter from the students, “But it is to remain a secret no more, because as of next term, you will all be getting very confused about the fact that there are two Professor Potter’s at Hogwarts as Professor Greengrass has agreed to marry me.”

“Was she under the imperius curse Professor Potter?” Williamson called.

Lacey rolled her eyes and smacked him around the head.

Harry chuckled, “Thank you Miss. Nott, and no Mr. Williamson. By some miracle, she agreed of her own free will! To those of you leaving us this year, myself and the rest of the staff wish you the best of luck going forward. To those of you who will be coming back, I hope you all have a lovely summer and please, do not practice underage magic, and stay safe!”

He ended his speech and the hall erupted once more. Harry sat down and smirked over at Daphne, “Oh and by the way Daph, tough luck that Gryffindor won the house cup this year.”

“Yes, but _we _had the champion who won the Triwizard Tournament,” Daphne said, raising an eyebrow at him

“And that won’t be an issue next year when _I’m _Head of Slytherin,” Draco said smugly.

“Excuse me Draco, are you saying that I am not a fit Head of Slytherin?” Daphne asked him.

“I think you’re a fit Head of Slytherin,” Harry mumbled.

Daphne ignored him and continued glaring at Draco.

“Well look at the evidence Daphne,” Draco said smoothly, “Has Slytherin ever won the house cup under your tenure? No.”

“Did Slytherin ever win the house cup when we were at school? No because you kept getting us points deducted by sneaking around after Harry, doing stupid shit,” Daphne retorted.

Harry snorted in amusement at this.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “Like you can talk, Snape was always taking points off you.”

“But then Dumbledore would give me double the points back, that Snape had taken off me for saving the day,” Harry grinned.

“It’s not quite the same anymore,” Hermione said in amusement, “We don’t have any dark wizards trying to attack school children.”

“Ah,” Harry sighed jokingly, “Those were the days.”

Hermione shook her head, “If this is what every meal is going to be like, I’m glad I won’t be working here next year.”

“Oh come on, you’re living in Rapunzels tower, you’re going to be here at meal times,” Harry grinned.

Neville snorted from further along the table, “Rapunzel, that’s gonna stick.”

“Why is he calling me that?” Draco asked Hermione irritably.

“Because Rapunzel was a princess that lived in a tall tower,” Hermione replied, fighting back laughter.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Lilly called from the other end of the table.

“What was that Lilly? Can’t hear you at the popular end of the table!” Neville called back.

“Oh shut up Neville!”

“I’ve agreed to work at a school full of lunatics,” Draco said under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. He turned to look at Hermione and said, “Oh, the things I do for love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist the nod to GOT with Draco's last line there, sorry not sorry!


	25. Epilogue: Here We Go Again...

**Headmaster’s Office * Hogwarts Castle**

** FIVE YEARS LATER **

“Hey Draco,” Harry smiled when the blonde man walked into his office, “How was your summer? Are you ready for our pre-term meeting?”

Draco raised an eyebrow at him, “Harry, I saw you last week for your birthday.”

Harry shrugged, “Hey, I’m trying to keep things professional.”

Draco snorted and sat down, “That would be a first.”

He flipped open a notebook and pulled out a quill.

“Why do you always take notes?”

“Because somebody has to remind you of all the things you say you are going to do at the start of the year, but forget about by January,” Draco reminded him, “So, where do you want to begin?”

“The Triwizard Tournament,” Harry said irritably, “Why the hell are we hosting it again? Oh yes, I remember now because Durmstrang can’t be bothered-”

“Harry, they suffered the worst avalanche in thirty years,” Draco said in disbelief, “The school needs complete rebuilding, we cancelled for the same reason when it was our turn just after the war.”

“Well…okay I know, but why couldn’t Beauxbatons host it then?” Harry asked.

“They could have done, but our_ wonderful _Minister for Magic decided that we would be the ones to step into the breech and help out,” Draco said sarcastically, “Because we’re British, that’s what we do.”

“Bloody Hermione,” Harry muttered under his breath, “I swear I was going to kill her when she told me that.”

“I know, hence why I was ready to duel you,” Draco said smoothly, he leant back in his chair, “She’s doing it for the PR.”

“I know she is,” Harry said, “But I don’t have to be happy about it, do I?”

“Did anyone ask you to be?”

“Well…no.”

“So stop complaining then,” Draco said simply.

Harry sighed, “I miss Neville. Why did I hire you again?”

“You say that at least 100 times every year, yet here I am five years later,” Draco said, smirking at him, “So I must be doing something right.”

“Bloody ferret,” Harry muttered under his breath, he kicked his feet up onto the table, “Do you fancy handling the tournament this year? It’s a pity I couldn’t convince Daphne to pop out another baby, I could have just skipped this whole year…”

“I’m done popping out babies, thanks very much,” Daphne said dryly as a bookcase opened up and she stepped out with a baby on her hip, “Three under two is quite enough.”

“Where are James and Sirius?” Harry asked as he was handed a baby, “And I’m in the middle of a pre-term meeting here.”

“With your best friend, who knows that your wife is fed up of being screamed at all day,” Daphne said matter of factly, “As for the boys, they were kidnapped by Theo while I was on my way up here. I’m fairly sure he has them zooming around the grounds on Emmie and Ava’s old brooms.”

Harry sat the baby girl on his knee and muttered, “He’s not my best friend, Hermione is my best friend.”

“No she’s not,” Daphne said in a sing-song voice as she dipped back into the bookcase, “You hardly see Hermione, Draco is your best friend.”

Harry shook his head, “You’re not my best friend, and where are you going now?”

“Out with Lilly, she needs to buy a wedding dress!” Daphne’s disembodied voice said, “I told you this three weeks ago!”

“No you didn’t,” Harry muttered.

“She did,” Draco said, an amused smile playing on his lips.

Harry shook his head again, “Women. And you really aren’t my best friend, you know.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Harry,” Draco smirked.

“So back to the pre-term meeting,” Harry said, “Triwizard tournament is happening again which I am not thrilled about. Beyond that, what is happening this year?”

“Well later on in the year, you will need to find a temporary Defence against the Dark Arts Teacher, Head of Slytherin and Assistant Head. I suggest giving Theo the temporary promotion to Head of Slytherin in the hope he does not ruin my four year run of winning the house cup, and I would suggest putting Neville back in the Assistant Head role for a brief while, as much as I am sure that he will complain. I will leave the Defence cover up to yourself,” Draco said calmly.

“Wait, why?” Harry frowned, “Where are you going? Why do I need cover? You can’t leave me in the middle of the Triwizard Tournament!”

“Unfortunately, my first child is more important than helping you get through the Triwizard Tournament,” Draco said, smiling at Harry as he said it, “I will need to spend about a month on leave sometime in late February or early March next year.”

“What?” Harry asked in surprise, “Hermione’s pregnant? How did I not know about that?”

“I think Hermione said it was payback for the fact you didn’t tell her you were proposing to Daphne,” Draco said.

“That was five years ago!”

“And this is Hermione we are talking about,” Draco reminded him.

“True,” Harry smiled, “Congratulations Draco, I know that’s something you have wanted for a long time.”

“Well it is, but I had to let Hermione have her fun first,” Draco said, “And now that she has achieved everything she wanted in the Ministry, I think she will be quite happy to come home to that job you promised to keep open for her although I don’t think you will convince Theo to leave very easily.”

Harry smirked, “It’s a good thing that Transfiguration wasn’t the subject that I was keeping open for her then, isn’t it?”

Draco narrowed his eyes at him, “What subject _were _you keeping open for her then?”

“Well,” Harry said slyly, “I’ve wanted to get rid of Binns for years but the only person I know who actually wants to teach History of Magic and could turn it into a class that students would enjoy, is Hermione.”

“That is incredibly Slytherin of you Harry,” Draco said proudly, “My five years by your side obviously have influenced you.”

Harry chuckled, “I had that idea before I even hired you Draco. Headmasters of my skill and intellect think years in advance, isn’t that right Albus?” he winked at Dumbledore’s portrait.

Albus chuckled, “Indeed my boy.”

Harry laughed and said, “So you need some leave to have a baby, that is completely fair enough. Now onto the next topic of discussion?”

“Neville.” Draco said with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s he done?” Harry asked sharply.

“Nothing in particular,” Draco replied honestly, “But the amount of tattoos he has now is getting rather excessive. I do think we have to tell him that he has to disillusion some of them.”

“We can’t do that, you know that’s his and Lilly’s thing,” Harry said, “They get a tattoo for every country that they visit together.”

“Yes Harry, but if they visit anymore countries, the 6th and 7th year girls are going to start fainting in Herbology, and it won’t be because of the heat in the greenhouses,” Draco said pointedly.

“I never thought I would see the day that Neville became the hot professor,” Harry said with a shake of his head.

“I know, it’s disgusting isn’t it?” Draco asked irritably, “Neville is the hot professor, you have produced a ridiculous amount of children in five years, if you carry on at that rate you are going to need your own knight bus to get around. And I am fast becoming the strict one, I mean I heard someone compare me to Severus last week-”

“Why do you say that like it is an insult Draco?” Severus’s portrait drawled.

“As much as I respected you Severus, I do not believe that fear is the most effective way to teach children,” Draco retorted.

“And I object to your comment by the way,” Harry said as he glanced at the 6 month old baby who was sitting on his knee quite happily, “Daphne and I were planning on having two children, the first two being twins was only a minor setback.”

“And then Daphne falling pregnant with Rhea while you two were holidaying in Greece didn’t come at all as a surprise to you,” Draco remarked sarcastically.

“Hey, babies do not always come exactly when you expect them to!” Harry said, bouncing his daughter on his knee, “Isn’t that right Rhea?”

“Unless of course you are Hermione who plans everything down to a tee,” Draco said, “To the point that sex is scheduled in a goddamn diary so that she can fall pregnant at _just _the right time to announce it when she steps down as Minister and so that she can have just enough maternity leave before starting her new job at Hogwarts the following term.”

Harry grinned, “That sounds like Hermione…ah, it will be good to get some more time with her. I’ve hardly seen her while she’s been Minister.”

“Neither have I, and when I did see her, it was for scheduled bloody sex,” Draco muttered under his breath.

“Daphne and I have never had to schedule sex to have kids,” Harry grinned, “We kind of have the opposite problem actually.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Draco said dryly, raising an eyebrow at him, “But you really are becoming far too Slytherin for my liking. I mean between earmarking Hermione for the History of Magic job and not giving me the biggest tower because you wanted it for your family.”

Harry grinned, “Well I do have a lot of kids, and I’m trying to convince Daph to have another one so we’ve got an even number. So you see, I really do need the bigger tower.”

“If you have another, I bet it will be another set of twins,” Draco joked.

“God I hope not,” Harry laughed, “James and Sirius are hard work. See talking about that, please just enjoy your baby as much as possible when it’s a baby because everyone tells you the baby stage is the hard part, but it isn’t. James and Sirius are two and they make me cry, I’m a grown man and they make me _cry _Draco. Toddlers are savages.”

“You’re really filling me with enthusiasm about this whole having children thing, Harry,” Draco joked.

Harry grinned, “Just giving you some friendly advice.”

“As usual, our pre-term meeting has descended into chaos,” Draco pointed out, “And is not remotely professional.”

“Ah,” Harry shrugged, “That’s because secretly we miss each other in the summer, let’s face it.”

“You two just cannot function without each other,” Hermione’s voice said as she let herself into the office, “Of course you miss your best friend in the summer.”

“He’s not my best friend,” Harry said, “You are my best friend, my best friend who didn’t tell me that she was pregnant. Congratulations by the way!”

Hermione smiled as Harry hugged her, “Thank you, and I am not your best friend anymore let’s face it. My husband is the person you spend all of your time with when you aren’t changing nappies or dealing with toddlers having temper tantrums. Speaking of which, I just saw James throw Theo’s new broom into the lake.”

“See,” Harry said to Draco, “Enjoy the baby before it becomes a savage.”

“Do I even want to know?” Hermione asked, catching Draco’s eye.

“No,” Draco replied simply.

“Pregnant or not Hermione, I’m still really pissed off that you decided to host this tournament as your final act as Minister for Magic,” Harry told her.

“Why? You did such a good job last time,” Hermione pointed out, “Your girl won then went on to be the most successful Auror of her age.”

“She has a point,” Draco said, “Under your mentorship. That set you up as a truly great Headmaster.”

“Exactly!” Harry said, “So what if it all goes downhill from here? I mean Durmstrang has a really strong Headmaster now instead of you Draco so they might actually produce a decent champion.”

Hermione snorted and Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry, “Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, you are a great second in command but you were lacking that real leadership quality that I have always had,” Harry smirked.

“He’s trying to get a reaction out of you, just ignore him,” Hermione said as she made herself at home on his sofa.

“I’ve been trying to do that for the last five years Hermione,” Draco said dryly.

Hermione smiled and asked Harry, “Why do you have Rhea in your pre-term meeting?”

“Because Daphne is wedding dress shopping with Lilly,” Harry replied, “Oh Hermione, do you think Neville needs to disillusion some of his tattoos?”

“Well if you want all of the 6th and 7th year girls, and some of the boys, to stop having wet dreams about him then yes, it might be an idea,” Hermione said matter of factly.

Harry choked on air, “Hermione!”

Draco sniggered, “You asked the question, she answered.”

“You have had a bad effect on her,” Harry said with a shake of his head, “Now Hermione if you could just sit over there quietly so that we can get on with our pre-term meeting.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, “Why do you think I’m here exactly?”

“Because you’re married to my Assistant Head and you think my office is your personal living room?”

“Because I’m the Minister for Magic and I need to drop this off,” Hermione said, with a click of her fingers a huge folder appeared on his desk.

Harry looked at it suspiciously, “What is this?”

“Well, last time all the Headmasters complained about the issues that went wrong with the tasks,” Hermione said smoothly, “The Ministry was blamed for much of it and we took a hit as a result so this year, we are handing the tournament over to the schools. Each Headmaster designs a task, that is your outline on the rules to do so, and the rules for the tournament.”

Harry looked at her in disbelief, “I hate you. You’re fired.”

“You haven’t even hired me yet!”

“I don’t care, you’re fired,” Harry said, pushing the folder across the table, “And Draco, this is for you.”

“Harry,” Draco said irritably, “You can’t just give me all the jobs you don’t want.”

“Yes I can,” Harry smirked, “It’s called delegation and it’s something us higher ups are very good at doing. Shit always travels downhill Draco.”

Draco shook his head in disbelief, “Merlin, I have had too much of an influence on you.”

Harry only smirked in response, “Ah…maybe it will be a fun year after all.”

“I hate you,” Draco said, getting to his feet and walking towards the office door.

“No you don’t, your my best friend,” Harry called after him.

** THE END! **


End file.
